Rethink Dangerous Goods Training says ACAPMA

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The Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA) has called for the training of drivers transporting dangerous goods to be adjusted.

They said that their reasoning is that there is evidence to show that there is a higher risk of an accident with drivers who are experienced with dangerous goods.

Analysis of available data by a company called Lumley Insurance indicates that about 81 per cent of insurance costs come from claims for accidents that were in fact caused by drivers of trucks.

According to a report at http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/:

The analysis, of claims made in the past three years, has found experienced drivers to make more mistakes than the newcomers, according to ACAPMA CEO Nic Moulis.

“The report suggests that a driver with between six to 10 years’ experience is more at risk of having a claimable accident,” Moulis says.

“This new research shows that there is a pattern when it comes to the cause and cost of truck accident claims in the dangerous goods industry.

“Unfortunately, the driver is the main cause of most incidents and rehabilitating the driver is a significant cost in the claims process.”

Moulis says it’s time for businesses to get proactive about training so the safety culture is improved as experienced drivers are more relaxed about training and safety.

“What we are seeing is that while drivers are taking training and safety on board in their first few years on the job, over time, complacency or lack of cultural reinforcement is leading to a higher rate of accidents,” he adds.

“All of these accident-causing activities can be rectified by driver safety training and risk management initiatives that companies can easily implement.

“Businesses need to focus on educating their drivers about the role they play in their own safety.

“Every driver walks around their truck and does an inspection of its safety before taking it on the road. However, most drivers have not taught how to analyse their own risk of functional failure before getting behind the steering wheel.”

The ACAPMA has been working with the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council (TILSC) in building career paths for dangerous goods tanker drivers, which has introduced Certificate IV in Tanker Operations.

“Tanker drivers, particularly the fuel tanker drivers are the ‘pilots of the road’,” Moulis says.

“However, what has become evident in the construction of the skill sets and course materials and through the roll out of the pilot program is that there is a need to focus on the driver as a person, not just as the operator of the vehicle.”

Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/articleid/82639.aspx

Fatigue is thought to be one of the principal causes of accidents beside faulty vehicles. There is still being considerable research conducted in an effort to understand how fatigue affects truck drivers and their ability to work safely behind the wheel.

Certainly fatigue can cause a lack of concentration when working and there have been recent questions about the affect of a drivers home life on the levels of fatigues as well.

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