Basic Truck Loading Safety - Part 2

There are some basic things that a person needs to take note of when in the process of setting up or tearing down a show. The norm would be: loading up the trucks, getting to the venue, unloading the trucks, setting up the equipment, tearing down the gear, and getting it all back to the office. But each of the above listed stages has it own set of dangers. For the final part of this article, I shall conclude with the unenviable but important subject of stacking stuff on the truck.
Stacking Stuff On The Truck

Depending on what types of side structure the truck has will most likely affect the way you load. Covered or open sided with wooden battens. Check the height limit of the loading bay that you are going to. Will stacking too high - even if it’s well secured - be under the limit/barrier?

Covered: Solid metal sides or canvas covers? Need to strap items down? Items might need to be secured even if it’s a canvased truck. The
canvas might not hold the weight if a corner is taken too fast. You will still need to secure items down. Do not for a minute think that the canvas will hold the flight cases.

Open Sided: How high are the wooden battens? Can it take the weight pushing outwards if items are stacked too high? How many ratchet straps should be used? If used, which part of the load should it be used at?
Will that cable or that small case slide out between the wooden battens? Do I need to fill that gap between cases to prevent any unwanted minute movements which might
lead to a large moving mass on the truck? And just how high can I stack the large cases? 

Different loads are packed differently. Let us say you have tall cases, with some smaller and/or shorter ones. Stack the tall ones in the middle space of the truck. Then on the outsides, you place the shorter ones. If wooden battens are not high enough, strap it all down.
You might have all tall stacks, but made up of smaller cases. This type of stacks should go in the middle of the truck, with tall one- piece cases going on the outside. The single tall cases will help to contain the “loose” cases that are in the middle.
At most times, as you all would know, the truck pack is different. There are seldom times when it’s the same pack. Truck sizes are different too. There is not one fixed method to load a truck. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle or a game of Tetris, everytime. You do your best to mix and match your cases on the truck. While loading, think safety.
Do not sacrifice safety for improper loading. Loading takes time. If the jigsaw puzzle needs to be redone, do it. If items need to come off the truck and be reshuffled, do it. If your pack is too high which might mean there is too much, then get another truck or do another trip. Do not overload in weight and height.
If you have the space, it might be a good idea to know what you are going to load. Make a space. Mark it with tape or use something similar. Limits of marking should be to the truck type you are going to use. Push your items and/or cases into this marked area. Even before the truck gets to your warehouse, you must know the layout of your pack. In the context of ballroom shows, all the gear will get pushed in at the same time. Loading will be easier if cases of the same dimensions gets up the truck together. These cases could be from the different aspects of the show: Lights, Sound,

Video, Trussing, etc. Mix and match the cases and you will most likely get a neat and well packed truck.

Take into account: Items that you might need first at the venue (to use), e.g., Motor hoists, Power DBs, and main power cables. Last on the truck, first into the venue.

Pack in a safe way: Think of the truck doing turns at a higher speed than normal. A good pack ensures your gear gets to the venue in one piece and not some random flight case on some road somewhere.

Rain: We all hate when it rains during a truck move. Should that happens, that particular canvas that goes over the load must be secured down well. The front end is the crucial part. No airflow should get under it. Airflow getting under it will rip it apart. Just like a sail, if it catches some wind it starts to balloon. Catch more wind, it will unfurl and balloon up and rip the canvas from its tie-downs. This means danger to your gear and danger to other road users as well.

Leave no room for doubt: From parking the truck, to handling of the cases, to loading the gear, and to the stacking, its always about safety. Never drift from it, stick to it. If in doubt, Stop-Think-Confirm, then continue. If something does not look right, it most likely is not. Stop whatever is going on and sort it out.

In conclusion: It could be any one, a part time loader, a freelance sound engineer, or an experienced rigger. It is everyone’s job to make it safe. Everyone should look out for everyone else during those moments of pushing and carrying heavy items onto that vehicle.
So with all these points to take note of, happy loading and look out for that tailgate! 

thanks clarenceeeeeee

Basic Truck Loading Safety - Part 1

There are some basic things that a person needs to take note of when in the process of setting up or tearing down a show. The norm would be: loading up the trucks, getting to the venue, unloading the trucks, setting up the equipment, tearing down the gear, and getting it all back to the office. But each of the above listed stages has it own set of dangers. I shall begin with getting the gear onto the truck.

Loading and Unloading

Flat ground is a must. This should not be an issue in most cases, but if the ground is not flat, the vehicle should be facing downslope and never upslope. Why? Unless you strap (ratchet strap) down the cases every 2 meters, they will all fall off the back of the truck - simple physics. Once you take off the strap at the backend of the truck which holds ALL the cases, the total weight will be in the “tons” and the two persons (or more) on the truck WILL not be able to hold back this weight.

If the truck is facing downslope, then no issues as long as the gradient is not too steep as we wouldn’t want the cases to roll towards the truck cabin at rollercoaster speed. The safety should never, ever be compromised. The total weight of all the cases will be towards the front of the truck. Pretty much common sense at work here.

Manpower will be wasted when there are many persons on the truck just to hold this weight back. So, point the truck downslope if needed.

Handling the flight cases on the trucks is pretty dangerous too. Having work gloves on will not prevent your fingers or hand from getting crushed when a case of two PS15’s speakers come rolling at them. Again, its simple physics. A moving case with two speakers inside will come to a stop when it hits another stationary case. Your fingers and hands do not count as a stationary object. They will get crushed.

Always hold onto the flight case on the side which is facing you. Or on top. Move the case while handling the case on the top surface. 

NEVER hold the corners or sides of a case that’s not facing you during a truck loading/ unloading and use the handles if they are available. Prevention is better than getting your fingers mashed. Its ok to hold onto the sides when its an open space where you are at or when you are pushing cases to another location. You can see around your person and if no other cases are around so its perfectly ok. But when it’s a congested area, or when there are other people doing the same thing as you, its advisable to place your hands on the top or the side facing you.

Never unload from a vehicle alone especially when using tailgates. Minimum there should be two of you to do the work. Just think about it, can you handle the weight of that flight case coming off the truck? Will it run over you? Is that flight case top heavy? Will it fall on you when it rolls off the tailgate? Does that flight case have a small wheel footprint? Higher chance of it tipping over when it rolls and stops at the gap between the tailgate and the floor? Are all those big fat 63 Amp power cables on top of that case going to cause it to tip? Will that tool case fall off the flight case when it comes off the sloped tailgate? Take it off beforehand? Is that gap between the tailgate and the floor too large, causing items to possibly tip over? Stop, Look, Adjust and Think “Safety” to prevent accidents. And re-adjust the tailgate when the truck becomes “lighter”. Many accidents can be prevented if a person uses more common sense. If the slope is too steep, don’t even load or unload. Even if the truck is parked facing downslope, you will not be able to slowly and safely glide the flight case to the front part of the truck. If to unload or load safety requires the truck to be parked somewhere else, park it some- where else. It’s just a matter of pushing stuff a bit further. Sweating a bit more is preferable to a case breaking your legs. Never try to lift something that you think you can’t or you might end up in hospital. Wait for manpower.

Never try to push or pull something that you cant. You will injure yourself. Wait for manpower. Never unload/load alone. We are not weight lifters that can handle sudden jerks or sudden pulls against gravity.

Which is more important? You or the items in the flight case? The answer is YOU. If things go wrong, as an example, that a case with the FOH sound desk in it comes rolling off the truck, What do you do? Get crushed by trying to stop it from rolling off? You know that you can’t stop it. There is only one option. You get out of the way. It’s just an example. If maybe it’s a smaller case, you could try to stop it. Things like this happen very fast. You have to make your mind up in a split second - To stop it or not to stop it, Getting crushed or not getting crushed.

Unloading and loading a truck needs your attention at all times. Being attentive, you can make those split second decisions if you have to. Concentrate at the task at hand. Using the phone? That’s a no-no. Talking shop with another person that takes your mind off the unloading and loading is probably another no-no. Keep the chatter to a minimum if possible. Don’t want to push the case off the truck when the tailgate is at ground level do we? Always look around your vicinity. Is there a person on the ground behind that case ready for the next load? 

“I was watching someone pushing a case up the tailgate. It was a cable case,
not that high with a small wheel footprint and had a coil of 63A 30m cable stacked on top. I knew it was going to tip over seeing that there is a gab between the tailgate and the ground. It did. No one was in front and the guy who tried to stop it from tipping got pulled over with it. It all happened in slow motion. So there you go, someone lying on a flight case, on a tailgate”

Are there enough people on the ground to accept the load? Should you wait for two persons? Would that flight case roll off the truck after it got onto it? Are the persons on the truck ready to haul it away? When you get to the venue, be very mindful when the tailgate comes down. During the drive, things might move. Not saying that items will move, but they might have even when their castors are locked and strapped down because of gaps formed from irregular flight-cases dimensions. It’s better to be safe and check, then something dropping off the back when the gate is coming down. The person controlling the tailgate should have their eyes and ears open at all times. One little miss-press of the button and a flight case would tip over and possibly crush someone. Lock every castors that can be locked, or available to be locked. Two or three loading crew on the truck is about right - one in-charge, and two to assist. Too many cooks will spoil the broth as some would say. Might be better to have an in- charge to determine where to slot the cases to minimize gaps instead of just stuffing random cases onto the truck. These are just some pointers on unloading and loading of truck(s). It takes time, It is not a competi- tion, there is no time limit, and it should not be rushed. Do it safely.

Many of you will know about hotel ballrooms and those carpets in them. Lovely isn’t it? There is a case that weights 50kg. Being on carpet, the “weight” might seem like 80kg when you want to move it.

That stationary case will be hard to move and I would like to expand on this topic. Like I mentioned above, our bodies are not build to take sudden jerks nor pulls. How does one get this case with a dead weight of 80kg to move? (a) Make sure there’s a few of you to attend to this flight case. (b) You move it alone. (explained below)
It is relative to each of us, if I know I can handle the weight I can get it to move, and once moving the “weight” drops back down to maybe 60kg, as an example. Once this “60kg” case is on the move over the carpet it is than relatively “easy” for me to push it. A smaller size person might not be able to even kick start this “80kg” deadweight. A larger, or stronger person might be able to make it move, and keep moving it. Never force yourself to move a deadweight, you will injure yourself. Do not get to a case, and suddenly start to push or pull with all your strength. Give it a slight push, a constant push and slowly putting more force into it. If it doesn’t move, forget it. There is no way it will move with you alone. Each person has their limits, and never go beyond your limit.

As to a single person and being able to push it on your own, after testing the weight, and knowing that you can do it, there are two ways for you to get this deadweight on the move. Your hands, which will require a lot of strength, or you can use your lower body – your legs and your hips. Remember, the whole idea is to get the deadweight moving. Once moving, it requires less energy as it becomes “lighter”. You hold the top of the case, turn your body, place your hip against the case, and using your legs, give it a light push, again adding strength. The case will start to move. You than change to using your hands and off you go with that “60kg” case, in fact being only 50kg. Another method is to use your legs - legs against the case, feet on the ground, and push off with your calves, and away you go. (To continue) 

thanks clarence )))))

quad copter

so am bankrupt again.

1500 on a quad copter to carry my go pro up in the sky lol.