Why Fall Arrest Systems on Beavertail Trucks Matter – And How We’re Getting It Right

Published on: 7th July 2025

Working on trucks is something we see every day; loading machines, strapping them down, climbing on decks to guide equipment. But even with experienced drivers and operators, the risks are still there. One slip or misstep, and someone’s off the edge. It’s that quick…

That’s why we wanted to take a moment to talk about fall protection, what the law says, what’s expected, and how we at Sterling have built solutions that genuinely make a difference.

The Legal Side – Straightforward But Serious

In the UK, every year, more than 2,000 workers suffer serious injuries, about five lose their lives due to falls from trucks, trailers, and similar vehicles.

Work at Height Regulations 2005 cover any situation where someone could fall and be hurt. That includes working on truck beds, ramps, and plant bodies – especially when loading machinery.

These WAHR regulations clearly set out a framework to prevent falls. “Work at height” is defined as any place where someone could fall and be injured if no precautions are in place. The regulations place responsibilities on employers (and those in control of work at height, like site managers or vehicle operators) to plan, assess, and equip any such work properly.

These key duties for employers include:

• Plan and Organise Safely: All work at height (like climbing onto a truck) must be properly planned in advance and supervised. No ad-hoc climbing on a lorry without thought for safety.
• Ensure Competent Personnel: Workers involved in these tasks should be trained and competent – for example, drivers should know how to safely use fall protection equipment and secure loads.
• Risk Assessment & Precautions: Employers must assess the risks of falls and select appropriate work equipment or fall protection measures. In practice, this means choosing safe loading methods and adding protective hardware (guardrails, harness anchor points, etc.) on trucks to prevent falls.
• Manage Fragile Surfaces: If the work involves any fragile surface (not usually an issue on a solid truck bed, but relevant if, say, walking on top of a vehicle cab or container), those risks must be addressed.
• Inspect and Maintain Equipment: Any equipment provided for work at height – e.g. ladders, fall arrest systems, anchor points, etc. – must be regularly inspected and maintained to ensure they remain safe to use.

Sounds obvious – but in reality, we still see operators walking on wet ramps with no handrails, or climbing up trailers with no proper access. And that’s where the risk creeps in.

So What’s the Right Approach?

The HSE is clear: where working at height can’t be avoided (and let’s face it, it often can’t), you should use collective protection – things like guardrails and platforms that protect everyone, not just personal harnesses.

On trucks, we’ve found two systems work well:

Post & Socket Fall Arrest

Simple, effective, and removable. Drop-in posts and chains that create a safe perimeter when needed. This system is easy to remove and stow when not needed. For example, if you need to load an over-width machine that exceeds the deck width, the posts and rails can be taken off to allow clearance. The downside is that when the posts are in place, the operator’s working space is limited to the width of the deck (you can’t step outside the bed area). Post-and-socket systems are popular for their simplicity and are often fully removable – leaving a flat open bed when fall protection isn’t required (or when it might get in the way).

TBS Hire opted this the Post & Socket system, like many others…

Fold-Out Walkways

Our most popular option. These swing out from the truck to give the operator an extra 200 mm of safe space to walk – ideal for full-width or awkward machines. You can walk the length of the truck with full fall protection in place. Fold-out systems do involve more moving parts; they’re a bit more complex to fold away or remove when you do need the full width of the truck (the rails and walkway usually need to be retracted or detached if carrying an over-width load). Despite that, they offer a big safety advantage during loading: extra space and stability for the operator. Many operators who frequently move large access machinery (like Summit platforms) prefer this system for the confidence it gives when walking alongside the load.

Summit Platforms, with their full-width Genie scissor lifts make good use of the Fold-out walkway

Loading Angle Matters Too

Another big safety issue is ramp angle. Too steep, and you’re asking for trouble – machines can bottom out or struggle to climb, and drivers have to stand in awkward spots.

The answer? The double-break slope and ramp. It gives you a much shallower angle, one of the lowest on the market at an optimal 12 degrees, making loading smoother and safer for everyone involved. Not only that, but the key measurement is the initial impact angle, the angle right at the toe of the ramp when deployed…and then the angle change there after, because machinery can load initially fine, but scissor lifts etc. can still ground out on the slope if the angle change onto the flat-deck is too large…

Real-World Example: GT Access

GT Access IVECO’s with Sterling Combiload bodies

We recently worked with GT Access, one of the UK’s top access rental firms. They took on a fleet of Combiload trucks, all fitted with fall arrest walkways, mesh decks, and shallow ramps.

Their Transport Manager, Duncan Turk , put it well:

With the new spec, these trucks allow us to maintain the highest standards of safety and efficiency for years to come.

That’s the kind of feedback we like to hear – because it shows the kit is doing its job out on the road.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a fleet manager, an operator, or just involved in plant transport, fall protection isn’t optional – it’s essential. And it doesn’t have to be complicated.

We’ve built safety into our plant bodies from the ground up – with features that make sense, are easy to use, and help businesses stay on the right side of the law.

If you’re spec’ing new trucks or looking to upgrade, we’re always happy to chat through options. Safety and compliance start with the right equipment – and that’s exactly what we aim to deliver.