FORS Gold member Paramount Haulage has been explaining road safety around Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) to school children, with a visit to a local primary school.
The haulage company based in New Cross, South London, decided to arrange a visit to West Lodge School, after Paramount Haulage Director, Norbert Walsh, noticed his son had a better awareness of the potential dangers of HGVs than his peers – because he had grown up around heavy trucks.
In order to help pupils’ understanding of how to remain safe around HGVs, Paramount Haulage visited the school on the 2nd March with one of their 32-tonne tipper trucks. During the visit members of the Paramount Haulage team spoke to the children about how to stay safe around trucks, showing them vehicle blind spots and offering tips on how pedestrians and cyclists can remain visible to the driver.
Paramount Haulage Director, Norbert Walsh said, “Paramount Haulage frequently operates in urban areas, so we understand how young children can be naive about road safety and especially HGV specific risks, such as larger blind spots.”
He added, “Becoming a FORS Gold member was a conscious step we took to ensure we are operating to the highest possible safety standards and doing all we can to reduce the likelihood of any incidents, and these school visits are a part of this commitment.”
Reception Teacher, Jo Calland, said “Thank you to Paramount Haulage Ltd and FORS for visiting West Lodge School this week to highlight the road safety issues with standing, crossing or cycling next to or near heavy goods vehicles. It really surprised us how tall the wheels were, how high the driver sat and how difficult it can be for them to see what is around them on the road. Road safety is an important issue for us, especially given the incidents we have on the crossing outside school. We look forward to welcoming you back again.”
The Paramount Haulage team were joined by FORS Quality Assurance and Compliance Officer Richard Brundrett, who supports FORS members outreach efforts across the country.
Richard Brundrett said, “School visits by FORS members are a really positive way for them to help raise safety standards. As a FORS Gold operator, Paramount Haulage has proven its commitment to the highest possible safety standards, and it is excellent to see their determination to pass on this message to local school children and their wider community.”