Recent regulation changes have put even greater focus on the design and manufacture of all types of vehicles, including mobile welfare units.
It can often be a daunting task for health and safety practitioners, plant and fleet managers to keep up with the latest regulations. And despite the fact that no company would claim to put budget constraints before safety, there are those that do and unfortunately some who simply put their head in the sand and hope for the best.
Whether it’s ensuring that a construction site meets exacting safety standards or a large piece of kit is compliant, ignorance is no excuse. And it is imperative that people with the responsibility for the safety of others don’t overlook the less obvious everyday dangers – these include the use of mobile welfare vans.
Whether purchased or hired, these vehicles may be thought of as an extension to a company’s fleet and therefore not afforded the questions which may be asked when hiring a long reach excavator for example. However, mobile welfare units transport thousands of workers everyday and are used extensively in the construction industry, by rail and road workers, at quarrying sites and in the aerospace and agriculture industries.
Regulation changes in relation to safety and environmental standards were recently brought into force by the Department of Transport’s approval agency, the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) which is the national approval authority for new on and off-road vehicles.
It states that the latest generation of mobile and roadside welfare cabins must be VCA Type Approved. But what does this mean for health & safety, plant and fleet managers?
Crucially, it means that the onus is on them, the company they work for and the driver of the vehicle to ensure that their mobile welfare unit has been registered and holds up to date Type Approved certification. This guarantees that during the process of converting the vehicle from a simple panel van to a fully functioning mobile welfare van, it has passed the very stringent checks that are enforced to ensure that suitable processes, controls and documentation have taken place. The vehicle will also have been submitted for inspection at a registered centre to ensure that the conversion process was robust and in compliance with this required standard.
Many components and processes are governed by the certification and include items such as seat fixing brackets and seat belts right through to gross vehicle weight.
With your average mobile welfare van carrying up to seven personnel at any one time, it is imperative that those people are given the utmost in protection should the vehicle be involved in a collision.
For those who have hired a cheaply converted van which doesn’t have Type Approval certification – and there are plenty around – the consequences are dire. You’re effectively throwing your staff in the back of a standard transit van. Not only will your insurance be null and void, the offence will land you with a hefty fine and penalty points. Should the worst happen and a collision occurs which results in death, it’s not just the driver who will be held to blame. The employer is liable too and if convicted of manslaughter, a prison sentence may follow.
I wonder how many people have picked up the phone today to order a mobile welfare unit and thought – or even known – to check if it is Type Approved? Any supplier worth its salt will know exactly what you’re asking for. Steer clear of those who don’t and think what a lucky escape you may have just had.
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Mr Richardson, you have failed in your rambling speech and comments to mention IVA individual vehicle approval
these are not done through the VCA, rather than VOSA f you are not mass producing such vehicles as the likes of clarke conversions who you use and who are currently building your new Garic Mercedes vans at their factory.
Also to point out your comments are leading consumers to use you, but you are an end user, hire company who do not even get involved in building these vehicles merely a hire company so using this platform to scare people and underlining a sales pitch for consumers to use you very unprofessional.
I would strongly suggest you read deeply into vca and iva schemes as you are showing unfamiliarity in such a field.
Any competent or budding entrepreneur, enthusiast or other hire companies can convert a van, there is no law to this at all.
yes standards and certain certifications are placed but if you don’t mass produce vehicles then an IVA is acceptable to do – NOT VCA, if you call them they will clearly tell you this with no hesitation.
Vehicle Certification Agency
1 The Eastgate Office Centre, Eastgate Road
Bristol, BS5 6XX
Tel: +44(0) 300 330 5797
Fax: +44 (0)300 003 2198
enquiries@vca.gov.uk
The nuts and bolts of the conversion if talking about welfare vans are the seating arrangements and the seats are certificated to N1 specification,and dependent on seat belt location again there are elements that apply and apply not, not that i am going to divulge them to you as it is clear you are not conversant with these elements.
I wholeheartedly hope you withdraw your misguided statements to consumers and your sales pitch to use GARIC and get your facts correct
hers some info to divulge
Basic IVA
Basic IVA involves a visual inspection and other tests to make sure the vehicle meets the necessary standards. You won’t normally need to provide any documentary evidence.
You can apply if you have a passenger car or light goods vehicle in one of these categories:
left-hand drive vehicles
personal imports
amateur built vehicles (kit cars)
rebuilt vehicles
very low volume production vehicles – this is for conversion companies or anyone wishing to build a welfare van, no need to be vca approved or tested
ambulances
motor caravans
hearses
armoured passenger vehicles
a vehicle manufactured using parts of a registered vehicle
John Williams, slight correction there in your statement, whilst you are correct you can submit a vehicle to VOSA for an IVA inspection, your comment “You won’t normally need to provide any documentary evidence” is untrue
You need to provide evidence that the seats meet a minimum requirement of Reg “76/115 (as amended 2005/41/EC)” and sign a VOSA IVA 19a and 19b form that you meet this requirement and it is an offence under the Road Vehicles (approval) Regulations 2009 to provide false documentation or statements.
I have read Mr Richardson’s article and fail to see how what he is saying is incorrect, do not forget it is actually the VCA that own the IVA certification scheme and it just so happens that they have chosen VOSA as an agency to carry it out.
hi named supplied the basic IVA information was merely copied and pasted from the government website in my defence I truly agree that documentation needs to be supplied Mr Richardson statements are a general negative swiping motion against other welfare providers and for consumers to use GARIC, if read correctly it’s plain as days to see the attempt to undermine other providers of such vehicles and not knowing them or their practises how can he possibly summise that other providers are not conforming to the law.just to test this fact we tested his statement the other day by way of mystery shopper when we contacted his company and enquired about a van to hire as per his statement we asked do the vans come with a vca test certificate which we where meet with do you mean MOT ? Then the lad disappeared came back and said not sure what we where asking for so i resubmit well done Mr Richardson for pointing out certain aspects in his sales pitch to use Garic, Total nil points for your staff not even knowing paperwork, certification or the law bad show mass back Fire from a welfare van hire company
Good afternoon John,
I have read your comments with interest and I find it incredible that you claim that the article is in any way incorrect or misleading and even simply a sales pitch. There are multiple reputable providers of welfare vehicles throughout the UK that service the demands of the nation with the correct control procedures in place, outlined by the governing bodies, as explained in the above article. The article was published to highlight the on going issues within the industry and as a guide on how to avoid the rogue traders who provide vehicles, that un be known to end users (hirers) are not licensed to operate on the highway in the configuration that they are being utilised.
I was also alarmed to read that you correctly so challenged the knowledge of our internal staff and were disappointed with the resulting response relating to type approval. I would very much welcome the opportunity to investigate this further, all of the calls are recorded within our business therefore if you could kindly provide the approximate time and date that the call was made or simply provide you telephone number I can listen to call and offer additional training to my team member who did not provide you with the response that we would expect.
I am unsure as to your role within the industry, client, manufacturer, provider, converter, however should you wish to contact me directly to discuss any of my comments please feel free to call me on 0161 766 8808.
Regards,
Neil