Logging Truck Driver - Fun Activities - Transport and Travel

Transport and Travel - LOGGING TRUCK DRIVER

Safe Work Australia needs your help!

Primary Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability

1. Safe Work Australia conducted a safety inspection to help make logging trucks safer. The road freight transport industry exposes truck drivers to a wide variety of hazards and risks. One of the ways to help minimise these risks is to undertake regular truck maintenance.

To ensure the safety of logging trucks WorkSafe Tasmania partnered with the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources to undertake regular state-wide compliance inspections and random inspections to target log trucks at loading and unloading areas.

Inspectors coordinated and led the inspection program which saw 50 log trucks inspected. During these inspections 34 defects were identified, including:

Log Truck Defects Detected	Number
defective personal protective equipment	10 trucks
expired items in first aid kits	7 trucks
logs located above the top of truck stanchions or cab guard	6 trucks
defective load binders	5 trucks
Outside logs with less than 300 mm past stanchions	4 trucks
loose items inside of cabin	3 trucks
no first aid kit	3 trucks
defective cab guard	2 trucks
load binders not secured to bolsters	2 trucks
driver not wearing seat belt	1 truck
defective brakes	1 truck
no restraining bolt in bolster pin	1 truck

As part of this program inspectors also issued a number of improvement notices and prohibition notices to address the defects identified." (Source: Safe Work Australia)

2. You are to review the above table. Why do you think that drivers would have these defects? Why do you think these particular logging truck drivers didn't follow the Safe Work Australia's guidelines?

Discussion

Discuss with a partner.

What defects struck you? Why?

3. Work out the statistics of these defects in percentages:

Total number of defects
Each defect

Put the defects in order of importance regarding safety. Which defect do you consider to be the most dangerous? Why? Discuss with a partner and come up with the same list.

4. You are to write a story from the perspective of a son or daughter of a logging truck driver who has at least two defects which results in an accident - an accident that causes some physical damage so that he couldn't work as a Logging Truck Driver again.

The resultant investigation proves that your Dad was at fault and there will be no insurance paid out. Describe the effects on yourself, your family and particularly your Dad.

5. How would you go about helping Safe Work Australia get the message across to logging truck drivers that their safety is paramount?

Electric vehicle logging truck. What are the statistics?

Middle

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Sustainability Priority