The water curtain at the entrances to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, was activated recently after the driver of an over height B-Double ignored warning signs advising his vehicle would not fit.
According to a NSW Police Online media release, on Friday 4th March 2011 the Queensland driver stopped the vehicle when the water curtain was activated across the traffic lanes at the south bound entrance to the tunnel, instructing him to stop.
Prior to being stopped by the water curtain, the driver ignored 2 flashing message boards directing him to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, followed by 2 sets of red lights with signs instructing him to stop.
The vehicle exceeded the 4.3mtr tunnel height restriction and had to be reversed with the assistance of NSW police & RTA officers.
How could this have been avoided?
The first reaction is to blame the driver, as he should have :-
- Been aware of the height of his vehicle and chosen a more appropriate route or,
- Heeded the warnings offered prior to the water curtain being activated.
Upon further reflection, what is not known is :-
- Was the driver instructed to travel this route by his employer/management?
- Was the route discussed with the person scheduling the load &/or driver?
- Was the driver fatigued?
- Was there a Driver Fatigue Management Plan (DFMP) in place?
The above are just a few things that come to mind when caught up in traffic whilst the situation is rectified or when this sort of event is witnessed.
From a Risk Management perspective, to have a driver & his vehicle in this predicament is just not acceptable. The event indicates the management of the transport operation is not aware of how nor where their vehicles are being operated, or even if the driver has taken his required rest breaks.
All states & territories have OHS obligations that require employers to reduce the risk in the workplace. In the long distance road transport sector, this includes identifying potential hazards in the overall trip and discussing the level of risk such hazards present to the task or tasks being undertaken with the driver.
Driver Fatigue Management Plans (DFMP’s) have been scoffed at in the transport industry as being inflexible and not a suitable method of identifying such hazards. If A DFMP is compiled in conjunction with the driver prior to the departure, the driver (& his employer) are aware of any issues with the route the vehicle needs to travel.
DFMP’s are also a requirement under WorkCover NSW for any trip or trips that exceed 500kms. Documentation of how trips are planed & managed is required by safe work authorities in each state & territory within Australia. The purpose of such documentation is for more than just the management of the drivers’ fatigue (which is how they are seen in the transport industry), they are also to identify such things as height & weight restrictions and heavy vehicle movement restrictions to name a few.
Too often interstate drivers are asked if they know where they are going, with no thought they might just be saying “sure, I know where I’m going, I’ve been driving trucks all my life”!
With Chain of Responsibility legislation in place in all Australian jurisdictions, the ramifications of the above event could be quite costly for the owner / employer of this vehicle & driver
The driver received over $1,000 in fines for this incident.
