Parameters to Improve Transportation Safety
By Marion Lovgren
Orica has seven Expert Panels covering the product manufacturing areas, applications, and distribution. This article describes activities by the Distribution Expert Panel (DEP).
The DEP has identified that to improve transportation safety the age of the fleet must be addressed, and modern technology should be applied to transportation. The DEP proposes a layered approach on technology, processes and people to reduce the probability of accidents and security incidents. This layered approach was the result of a study that was carried out on past incidents during distribution. Many of the equipment recommendations from this study align with recommendations made in the investigation report by the Department of Mining, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) following the tanker explosion in Laverton, Western Australia.
The layered approach is proposed to reduce risks in transport and to prevent more severe incident outcomes. The study was based on past years’ internal incident statistics and identified the importance of layering of several independent elements. Statistically the increase of rollover and collision events were related to inadequate control of speed on the road, driver fatigue, and no effective test and inspection on brakes and tires. Many of the basic causes could have been eliminated with extended use of modern truck safety technologies. Several of the findings and recommendations from this study also link into the recommendations in the DMIRS report. The three layers of control are:
1. Technology - A strong enabler of safety is technology, which is automated, always available to support when a process fails or when human error occurs and delivers the same quality on each demand. Technology is at the back and stopping an incident from happening as an important layer of defense. The study suggests that trucks transporting dangerous goods should include safety technology such as In Vehicle Monitoring Systems, EBS braking systems, Tire Temperature Monitoring Systems, Fixed Fire Suppression Systems for engine and tire fires, Blind Spot Warnings system, Fatigue Systems, spoken Route Risk Assessments and alcohol ignition interlock. Further, the study featured security functions such as alarms in the loading compartments for Class 1 goods and immobilizers should be included as a standard.
2. Processes - Key processes to improve carrier safety were identified such as identifying improvement potential proactively with audits and performing prestart safety check prior to departure. Procedures with the requirements of seatbelts, proper speed on the road, and route risk assessments are fundamental.
3. People - A culture change mindset is necessary in which Safety is seen as a Priority.
From the study a suggested maximum age of 8 years for the fleet has been imposed as an important enabler to smoothly onboard modern safety technology. It was noted that the older age of the trucks and trailers is the strongest indicator of the risk of a major non-conformity. This risk could create a significant concern of the safety of a vehicle. Older trucks do not have the integrated safety functions that exist on newer vehicles. Retrofitting these older trucks with modern equipment is not always possible, and it can also be very costly to upgrade. Newer vehicles in the fleet will bring down the average age of the fleet and will help reducing carbon emissions.
Based on the findings from the study, the different regions in Orica have implementation plans in place to take road safety and security to the next level.
Of note, SAFEX has three good practice guides related to transport, namely, for TGAN, AN solution, and most recently for ANEs.
Author: Marion Lövgren
2024-03-27