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File name: Engistics_Informa_2Dec2015.pdf Our Ref: E00637

2 December 2015 Contact Trevor Wilkinson 0425 001 087

Trevor.Wilkinson@engistics.com.au

Load Restraint Compliance & Safety

Trevor Wilkinson B.E. (Hons), CPEng, FIE Aust

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Why Worry About Load Restraint?

Load restraint is fundamentally about keeping people and property safe

Done by preventing excessive load shift.

Potential Consequences of load shift

!  Kill or badly injure the driver

!  Kill or badly injure other road users

!  Get lucky

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Case Study in Luck

© Channel 7

Aims of your Load Restraint Compliance System

!  Understand WHY you are doing this

!  Compliance, OR;

!  Genuine Safety System

!  Compliance = Meet minimum standards (Sometimes the advice is to avoid doing more)

!  Safety = Do what is reasonably practicable (Plus comply)

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Leonie Darling fatality, Bathurst 2011

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Aims of your Load Restraint Compliance System

!  WHAT you need to do depends upon your role in the Chain of Responsibility

!  Consignor Vs Loader Vs Carrier

!  Who are the enforcement agencies targeting? (Everyone)

!  Intent = Everyone takes a share of the responsibility in the interest of safety – Do all reasonable steps (ALARP coming?).

!  Problem (common) = People take only their prescribed responsibility. Push other responsibilities onto others, no matter how (im)practical.

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Case in Point

The Leonie Darling fatality near Bathurst might provide an example.

!  The Consignor/Loader has been convicted.

!  They have a new procedure avoiding any participation in loading and load restraint.

!  The sentencing judge was “not persuaded” that such a system relieves them of future responsibility.

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Load Restraint Compliance – The Bare Minimum

!  Have management study the LRG to advise drivers & understand their risks

!  Ensure enough working LR equipment on truck for worst loads

!  Copy of NTC LRG issued to every driver !  Basic Training for all your drivers

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!  Require Carriers to show how they comply as a condition of their contract

!  Never allow obvious breeches (like NIL restraint)

!  Never allow curtains alone, unless certified !  Check YOUR packaging is adequate

(e.g. NO loose items on a pallet)

Load Restraint Compliance – The Quality Solution – High Volume Palletised

!  Consignor works with the carrier to ensure carrier gears up for their product

!  Contracted Minimum standards for all equipment.

!  Start with picking the right vehicle !  Procedures and systems = compliance

!  Who is the best person to provide? !  Auditing Systems to measure LR

compliance

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Quality equipment

You can’t improve what you don’t measure

!  Large Consignors and Carriers work together

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Load Restraint Compliance – The Quality Solution – LR Curtains

!  Be sure to understand LR Curtains

!  Certification on curtain

!  Their capacity varies, and is specified in different ways

!  Consignor and carriers should work together to specify the appropriate curtain

!  CAUTION – They only work for very specific load types and FULL configurations

!  The ALC has a guideline to assist.

9 LR curtains have their place

Load Restraint Compliance – The Sophisticated Solution

!  Large Consignors / Specialised Equipment

!  Engineered LR Systems can make a far more efficient freight task

!  Design trailers & equipment for the large volumes / routes

!  Blocking not lashing

!  Perfect in combination with PBS vehicles

!  8% reduction in contract $

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16 tonne steel coils with only 1 chain, but safe & legal! Cost saving 8% p.a.

Sliding adjustable headboard 29t of bars with just 2 chains

Very rapid loading 50% efficiency gain!

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Load Restraint Compliance – The Quality Solution

!  Consignors and Carriers work together

!  Engineered LR Guidelines for Major products used across all sites and carriers

!  Diagrammatic LR Guides to suit Drivers

!  Contracted Minimum standards for driver training

!  This is a strong reasonable step, whether consignor or carrier.

!  NOT large consignors pushing load restraint compliance for tricky loads onto multiple contractors.

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Drivers need diagrams, not pages of words!

Load Restraint The Usual Solution – High Volume Palletised

!  Load restraint is often pushed onto Carrier.

!  Carrier obliges, with “standard” system. E.g. Curtain-sider

!  May be OK, but only if:

!  Very standard load E.g. palletised

!  Well packaged & well loaded.

!  Who Knows if Carrier load restraint is actually compliant? Do NOT assume

!  Consignor needs to be satisfied. Carrier needs to be certain.

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✗ ✗ ✗ Loads with Gaps across Load without central gap, & tie-down over LOAD

Stacked loads in unrated gates….. Normally require tie-downs over LOAD

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Problems & Fixes

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Load Restraint Compliance – LR Curtains Gone Wrong

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Steel tube type. Rollers top & bottom. This version fitted with special slots for lashings Can have access problems with pallets

! !  “If it’s behind a rated curtain, it’s restrained”

– MAYBE NOT!

!  Problem with any gaps.

!  Gaps = Need lashing system

!  Some systems do not accept lashings

Load Restraint Compliance – Tie-downs – Who Knew?

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1 2 3

!  Tie-downs are simple….right?

!  Many don’t know they depend entirely on friction.

!  Danger if your people don’t know this!

!  Many believe a 2.5 tonne.force tie-down lashings can restrain up to 2.5 tonnes of load.

!  Wrong if not blocked!

!  Nearly correct IF blocked forward.

!  Simple… but not that simple

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Load Restraint Compliance – Tie-downs – Who Knew?

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Container on Trailer deck Steel : Steel on truck deck If friction is 0.25 Static 10 webbing straps required

1000 litre Liquid container with steel frame base (IBC) Mass = 1000kg when full with liquid similar to water Gap in front of load

Container on Pallet / other timber Steel : Timber or pallet If friction is 0.40 Static 4 webbing straps required

Container on Anti-slip Load Mat Steel : Anti-slip If friction is 0.60 Static 2 webbing straps required

1 webbing strap if BLOCKED forwards

COR

!  Loader (often linked to Consignor) responsibilities include ensuring a vehicle’s load is placed in a way so it does not become unstable, move or fall off the vehicle.

Load Restraint Performance Standards

!  Any load movement should be limited, such that in all cases where movement occurs, the vehicle’s stability and weight distribution cannot be adversely affected and the load cannot become dislodged from the vehicle.

Truck Instability

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Vehicles will be more unstable and potentially roll :

!  When the load moves sideways due to poor load restraint

!  Even where the sides of a tautliner, pantech or container stop the load.

OR

!  The load is so high that the vehicle is unstable no matter how good the load restraint.

Truck Instability– Common Mistakes

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!  High Loading = Unstable for Truck Roll-over

Truck Instability

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!  Simplistic rule of thumb (for full loads on a tri-axle trailer)

!  CoG < 2300 mm from ground = probably OK

!  CoG > 2600 mm above ground = Disaster (looking for a place to happen!)

!  Timber loads – Growing understanding

!  Concrete culverts – Some understand well

!  CAUTION – Container loaded close to roof on standard tri-axle. – How do you know?

!  Australia Lacks any definition of stability

!  NZ has an approach of limiting the Static Rollover Threshold.

CoG

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!  Compliance and safety are not always the same.

!  Best option is for consignor and carrier to work together.

!  Parties in chain must agree best system for reasonable steps.

!  Sometimes this means the consignor takes a front seat in developing load restraint systems.

!  Load restraint is not just common sense. Engineers get involved for a reason.

!  Ensure you and your supply chain understand load restraint

Conclusion

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✓

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