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ECOGIE

25th January 2001
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Page 43, 25th January 2001 — ECOGIE
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

"Traffic is building up just south of junction 15 of the MG where a lorry has broken down..." It's a familiar early morning radio message, but spare a thought for the mechanic or recovery operator who has to sort things out. As Bryan Jarvis finds out, the roadside is a dangerous place.

Repairing or recovering vehicles from the side of the road, be it a country lane or a busy motorway, is never a routine job. If your garage or dealership is responsible for dealing with breakdown repairs, vehicle recovery, tyre replacements or similar roadside work, everyone involved must be aware of the hazards.

Call-out trucks are usually fitted with high-visibility lights, warning signs and reflective markings and carry lots of luminous traffic cones. Most firms also provide their staff with highconspicuity clothing that glows brightly at night.

Companies like T&C of Buntingford, Herts sell the full range, from jackets, waistcoats and trousers to a wide selection of reflective marker tape from firms like 3M and Reflodte.

Many garages use these tapes to highlight breakdown trucks and trailers in diagonals, chevrons or plain outlines. But no matter how well-lit the roadside or a rescue scene may be, it's still fraught with danger.

A recent study spanning 19861997 shows that on average more D D than 250 people are killed or injured at the roadside every year—in 1998 six recovery men died in the line of duty. The survey was conducted by the Hard Shoulder Research Group (HS RG) and funded by the AA and RAC, both of which have lost employees or contractors in this way.

Over the sample period motorway traffic almost doubled and hard shoulder stops increased, as did their duration. But while fatal/serious injury rates have fallen significantly, the severity of injuries has increased.

The report concludes by noting the wide differences in instructions and codes of practice for operatives working at the roadside. The advice offered by some firms and organisations is scant to say the least.

But moves are afoot to make the job that bit safer by making breakdown sites easier to see. Flashing blue lights are reserved for police, fire and ambulance vehicles; green is used by medical staff; amber is for the construction and road repair sector.

Recovery vehicles also use the orange flasher but organisations like the Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators, the Road Rescue and Recovery Association and other contractors are petitioning for a special bright red or magenta rotating beacon, to set the vehicle and equipment recovery service apart.

Motorway mayhem At present their trucks have no authority to use the inner shoulder to get through traffic blockages en route to an accident or breakdown scene. Such a move, they say, would cut the amount of time and money wasted in traffic hold-ups.

The HS RG report identified the average cost of fatal collisions at Dm, not including the cost of delays to other road users, except to say that a one-hour delay will set a haulier back a minimum of f25o.

The report is still under review says the DOT, and even if a decision is reached this year, any action will need a change in our Road Vehide Lighting Regulations, so don't hold your breath.

Steve Kirton, chairman of the Institute of Vehicle Recovery, expresses concern over national advertising by motoring associations about ever-faster breakdown response times. He's worried about the affect this has on mechanics as they come under increasing pressure to dash from one casualty to another to maintain average times.

London ambulances have blue lights and sirens to achieve a 14minute average response time, while recovery mechanics are expected to battle through heavy congestion and wintry conditions, to attain 30 minutes or less.

Some of the fatalities have caused the industry to re-appraise how its hazardous work is done—the heavy vehicle recovery organisations already advocate a quick-lift-and-shift policy, especially on motorway work.

Kirton believes that this tends to put a technician off guard; they think it only takes a few minutes for a breakdown to be lifted to a place of relative safety.

When a mechanic arrives and decides to do a repair, he'll try to protect himself by leaving his truck a few lengths behind the casualty with its amber lights flashing. When he attends a call with the intention of carrying out a repair, he's thinking positively about his safety, while someone intent on a fast lift-and-shift wants to get away quickly.

Instead of using cones and warning lamps he'll concentrate on moving the casualty instead.

Either way Kirton points to the convoy syndrome which has resulted from the use of speed limiters. The driver of the leading HGV in a line might well see the flashing lights of a breakdown scene in good time and will ease away from the lane's edge to give the recovery workers space.

But if the convoy is running nose to tail the next truck can see only a few feet ahead of him past the first one's tail. When the leading truck eases outwards, truck number two might edge the other way to see what's going on.

Imminent danger

If the mechanic's lucky, he'll be about two feet from a 41-tonner doing its governed 56mph (82ft/sec)—but he could still be pulled towards the vehicle by the vacuum created by its passage, and is in imminent danger of becoming a statistic.

Many garage proprietors and motoring associations feel that you can accomplish a tow job in the time taken to lay and retrieve conesKirton sees things differently.

All too often, says Kirton, a load needs re-securing or damaged wheel studs have to be renewed and this will stretch a five minute job to 4o minutes. The IVR view is clear: always set out cones or warning devices, to warn that inevitable second vehicle. It will take longer, but never drop your guard. If your best option is to move the broken down truck get in front straight away, because on a busy motorway or dual carriageway it's a dangerous manoeuvre to pull out and then reverse up to a breakdown.

If you're in a service van you Won't be moving it anyway, so the only option is to park accordingly with lots of lights out to protect yourself while you assess the problem and rectify it, or call in a heavy lifter.

When this arrives the driver should place his markers because he'll spend several minutes lowering the bed, more time sorting the passengers out, arranging the straps and pulling the winch rope out—the clock just keeps ticking away.

Kirton's advice is: weigh up all the risks first, consider all your options, use your professional judgement and then do what you believe is best.

Country hazards Mechanics are equally vulnerable on country roads, where delivery drivers cover a route daily, know all the bends and keep up to 50 or 6 omph limits. If they come across a recovery job without any warning, they'll have no chance of avoiding you.

Maybe, as in some other countries, we should require every vehicle to carry a warning triangle. Then, using cones too, that second lorry has a much greater chance of seeing the recovery vehicle in good time.

By law garages and recovery operators have a duty of care for the technician himself as well as the occupants of a stranded vehicle. As well as providing the right recovery gear, there should be adequate training too.

Most organisations, including AVRO, RRRA, motoring clubs and tyre repair chains emphasise safety and refresher training.

The Institute of Vehicle Recovery provides accredited courses through its training services branch and has also produced five training videos, three of them on roadside safety.

Kirton explains: "Our courses deal with every situation, from hazardous motorway work down to wheel changes in car parks. Training is absolutely essential— don't under-rate it"

• The SURVIVE Report, on hard shoulder and roadside safety, is available from the Institute of Civil Engineers. Contact: 0207 222 7722.


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