Grundon helps train police units
By David Wood | 26th November 2024
Incident investigation officers from two police forces in southern Wales visited Grundon Waste Management's Bishop's Cleeve depot for a safety training day regarding Large Goods Vehicles.
Experts at Grundon's depot near Cheltenham welcomed 13 officers from the Forensic Collision Investigation Unit (FICU) at South Wales Police and Gwent Police for the day.
Led by Grundon's transport manager Tina Painter, the training aimed to increase the officers' understanding of LGV operations, legislation and compliance.
Topics covered included key aspects of LGV safety, equipping officers with the knowledge they need to spot potential issues, either when these vehicles are on the roads or following involvement in traffic collisions.
During the day the officers were given the unique opportunity to operate a 36 tonne rolonof vehicle under the guidance of Grundon's experienced operational training team.
The exercise aimed to improve the officers' knowledge of blind spots, reversing, vehicle size appreciation, spatial awareness, and how to conduct visual inspections.
Karl Painter, lead participating officer from the FICU, said: "A massive thank you to Tina for helping to arrange this event and to all the team at Grundon for making us feel welcome.
"Their valuable support, advice and information will be incredibly useful to us in our day-to-day roles. Everyone present felt that the practical elements of the day were more helpful than just reading a document or watching a PowerPoint.
"After being an HGV Class 1 driver myself for over 20 years, I know how hard the job is. Hopefully after days like this it will give our officers a better understanding of the stresses and strains that drivers and transport teams have to deal with on a daily basis.
"A great day was had by all and hopefully we can arrange another one someday soon. We'll look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Grundon."
The day also included sessions on identifying pre-set minor defects on a vehicle, understanding the intricacy of service records, and an overview of Tachomaster and Samsara safety and fleet operation software.
These systems enable Grundon to track incidents, generate reports, and ensure legal compliance across its fleet, all of which are vital elements to understand when investigating any collision involving LGVs.
Tina Painter, Grundon's transport manager, said: "It's very important that officers understand what to look for when LGVs are involved in incidents on the road. The training session was all about closing that knowledge gap and by the end of the day we believe every officer had a greater understanding of LGVs.
"Their enthusiasm and curiosity made it a very rewarding experience. We're proud to have been able to share our expertise and resources to support the unit."
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