The Log Transport Safety Council has issued a safety alert following an incident in which a self-loading logging truck detached from its trailer while traveling on State Highway 30 near Kinleith, Bay of Plenty, on January 21.
The truck was fitted with an electronic ring feeder release system, operated from the cab of the crane with a simple switch.
During the journey, a recently installed radio transceiver (RT) became dislodged and struck the switch, releasing the ring feeder, causing the trailer to detach.
No injuries were reported, but the trailer collided with the side of an oncoming logging truck. Another vehicle was also damaged after striking a log. The incident was captured on dashcam footage and shared online.
The safety council says the incident delivers the following key learnings:
- Any electronic release system for a ring feeder must have safety redundancy incorporated
- It is recommended that a two-step switch is installed and that the switch is only enabled when the power take-off (PTO) is engaged
Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih says while this particular case involves an electronic ring feeder release system, there may be other examples with trucks and machines where the risk of “single point failure” is also present.
“Therefore, we recommend operators consider safety critical areas and whether there is sufficient safety redundancy engineered into the design.
“Historically I am also aware of other incidents occurring as a result of objects in the cab unintentionally striking controls, or objects moving around the cab and becoming a significant distraction to the driver.
“Therefore, we recommend operators also consider how well they manage that risk,” Kalasih says.
