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HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • NOVEMBER 2016
To raise industry awareness and assist
workplaces to find ways to control the
risks associated with immobilising
heavy vehicles and trailers, a WorkSafe
Queensland state wide audit campaign is
running from July to December 2016.
The campaign will focus on:
• immobilising vehicles;
• working safely under trucks or trailers;
• truck and trailer maintenance;
• coupling and de-coupling trailers.
The campaign will also assist workers
to maximise their safety when getting
into or out of heavy vehicles and when
working on or under a heavy vehicle
or trailer to clean it, check for faults or
undertake servicing and repairs.
According to a Safety Alert formWorkSafe
Queensland, some of the contributing
factors to these incidents involving trucks
or trailers not effectively immobilised
include:
• workers being under a heavy vehicle or
trailer, or in its path;
• unsafe systems of work being applied,
such as poor separation of traffic from
Assisting workplaces with safe immobilisation of heavy vehicles
and trailers
There have been 14 fatalities in Queensland where a worker was crushed or hit by a
heavy vehicle or trailer because it was not effectively immobilised.
pedestrian areas;
• failing to immobilise:
• the handbrake of the vehicle not
applied;
• the wheels of the heavy vehicle or
trailer not immobilised (eg: chocked);
• components of the heavy vehicle or
trailer not restrained or adequately
supported;
• brakes malfunctioning;
• not conducting a risk assessment
before working on the vehicle.
The safety alert advises: if an employee
needs to work near a heavy vehicle, or
between a heavy vehicle and another
object, first make sure the vehicle is
immobilised by:
• switching off the motor and removing
the key from the ignition to render it
inoperable;
• applying the handbrake;
• using wheel chocks, if required.
Establish a safe operating procedure and
ensure workers follow it to eliminate the
risk of anyone failing to immobilise their
vehicle. Consider installing a handbrake
warning system to alert drivers when the
handbrake has not been applied (these
can be easily retro-fitted).
For work under heavy vehicles and
trailers, ensure an appropriate load
support is used (eg: stands or lifting
devices).
Before commencing work, identify
hazards and assess risks associated with
working under and around heavy vehicles
or trailers. Where appropriate:
• establish an exclusion zone that is
clearly marked and enforced;
• use safe work procedures for
maintenance and repair tasks, and
ensure workers are trained in these
procedures;
• ensure worker training, experience
and competency is consistent with the
nature and complexity of the task.
Similar risks exist for light and smaller
vehicles and a risk assessment should be
conducted before commencing work.
Visit worksafe.qld.gov.au or contact:
1300 362 128.
TRUCKS & TRAILERS
The rebranded company will continue
to support its 40,000 customers with
more than 500,000 tracked vehicles and
equipment. Newly appointed President,
Renaat Ver Eecke, will lead Teletrac
Navman on a global level.
Under the Teletrac Navman brand, the
combined resources of Navman Wireless
and Teletrac will continue to expand
the company’s offerings to a more
geographically diverse market, including
Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, the
United Kingdom and the United States.
In conjunction with the rebrand, Teletrac
Navman is unveiling a new, local website.
Ian Daniel, Vice President of Asia Pacific
at Teletrac Navman, said: “We’re excited
to announce the rebrand and introduce
our new website as the next step in
our journey as a unified brand. With the
latest information on our vehicle and
assets tracking solutions, customer
case studies, and a blog with news and
views from industry experts, our website
is a fantastic way for local current and
potential customers to see our most
recent innovations.”
Visit: www.teletracnavman.com.au
Unified brand to drive enhanced productivity for
customers
Navman Wireless, fleet and asset tracking supplier, has
rebranded under the name Teletrac Navman following Navman
Wireless’ merger with GPS fleet tracking software company,
Teletrac, creating one of the world’s largest telematics
organisations.