Lightening the load for Transport for London

The Project

Aggregate Industries has provided bespoke, low weight bags of aggregates to support Transport for London on driving positive safety improvements to manual handling operations across the business.

The Brief

Aggregate Industries has a long history working with Transport for London (TfL) as a trusted partner, providing aggregates for use on the London underground and overground networks. TfL recently approached Aggregate Industries to provide 20kg bags of material (including sand and ballast) instead of the standard 25kg bags across its Track and Signals’ areas in a bid to drive positive safety improvements to its manual handling operations.

The Solution

In order to produce the bespoke 20kg bags of aggregate to TfL, Aggregate Industries – in partnership with Day Group – reprogrammed its bagging plant and stacking robot at select times to ensure the new requirements could be met. As well as amending the bag size and weight, Aggregate Industries also considered the volume of product that could be fit onto a single pallet, with 50 bags provided as opposed to the standard 40.

In addition, Aggregate Industries ensured the new bags featured weight markings so TfL employees know exactly how heavy the item is. It is hoped that by reducing the weight of the aggregate from 25kg to 20kg it will limit the stress placed on TfL employees, as injuries are more likely to occur from carrying excessive weight, rather than the frequency of lighter items. 

Russell Crawley, Territory Sales Manager at Aggregate Industries (South East), said: “Injuries due to heavy lifting is a challenge faced across TfL, so we have worked with them to provide lighter bags of product to support in improving their manual handling operations. As well as the bags being lighter for health reasons, their smaller size also means that they are easier to manoeuvre through confined spaces - including vent shafts - making them more convenient for those carrying them through tunnels and along tracks. We’re delighted to be able to support TfL in this way, and hope that the bespoke solution makes positive changes to health and safety both now and in the future.”  

Hamilton Drane, Commercial Manager for the Track Team at London Underground, said: “Aggregate Industries’ positive contribution and collaboration has helped successfully resolve the London Underground material handling needs with the introduction of reduced weight bags, which has already made a significant improvement to material handling safety within TfL.”