Report on road traffic accidents involving transportation of concrete elements on county road 770 by Nakling in Nærøy in Nord-Trøndelag county 30 November 2014, and on European route E18 in Tvedestrand in Aust-Agder county 14 December 2014
Road traffic report 2017/03
Investigation of these two accidents has shown that there is still is a need to improve securing of large and heavy packages transported on the road. The two accidents share common features with the accidents involving heavy goods vehicles that overturned by Tengs and Sirevåg in Rogaland county in 2005, and that are covered in Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) Report Road 2007/01. The driver of the heavy goods vehicle that overturned in Nærøy died as a result of the accident, where as the driver of the heavy goods vehicle in Tvedestrand did not sustain any injuries as a result of the accident.
The heavy goods vehicle that overturned on county road 770 in Nærøy was transporting two concrete elements that each weighed approximately 14,000 kg. The concrete elements were placed on the semi-trailer’s loading dock, upright on each side of an A-shaped supporting frame. The concrete elements were secured with three chains. The investigation uncovered that the A-shaped supporting frames malfunctioned during transport and the concrete elements displaced on the loading dock, resulting in the heavy goods vehicle overturning. The supporting frames were not dimensioned for the load they were exposed to from the concrete elements.
The concrete elements that fell off the heavy goods vehicle on European route E18 by Tvedestrand each weighed approximately 11,000 kg. The concrete elements were placed upright on the semi-trailer’s loading dock, and were secured by three chains. A-shaped supporting frames, or other supporting structures, were not used for the transportation of the concrete elements. The investigation uncovered that the concrete elements fell off the loading dock of the heavy goods vehicle when the chains securing the concrete elements broke due to overload.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) has uncovered in the investigation that routines and procedures for load securement of the transport companies involved in the two accidents were inadequate. It was further uncovered that training of drivers concerning load securement was also inadequate within both transport companies.
As a result of the investigation into the accidents in Tengs and Sirevåg in Rogaland county in 2005, several safety recommendations were issued in order to improve the safety aspects surrounding transportation of concrete elements. Three of the issued safety recommendations concerned the same circumstances uncovered in the investigation of the two accidents covered by this report. The three safety recommendations are yet to be closed.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) issues three new safety recommendations to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration that are of relevance both to the accidents covered by this report and the accidents taking place in Rogaland county in 2005. Additionally, a safety recommendation is issued to each of the two transport companies involved in the investigated accidents.
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation ROAD No 2017/05T
Since the accident, Overhalla Transport AS has replaced all existing A-shaped supporting frames with corresponding equipment that is certified and approved for specified weights and loads. The company has also developed a quality system describing the placement and securing of cargo as well as the training of drivers. The AIBN believes that the quality system should be further developed, however, because it is deemed to be inadequate in relation to the placement and securing of cargo, as well as the training of drivers in this area.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that Overhalla Transport AS revise its quality system so that it provides specific guidelines for or recommendations on the securing of upright concrete elements transported with or without the use of A-shaped supporting frames, and that the drivers be given sufficient training in this area.
Safety recommendation ROAD No 2017/06T
Seafront Transport AS has procedures in place for the placement and securing of cargo that, in the AIBN’s assessment, fail to provide the drivers with necessary guidance on how specifically to secure the cargo in accordance with regulations. The procedure is designed so that the drivers are required to have a high level of knowledge of mathematics, mechanics and physics to be able to assess how the cargo securing is to be carried out. The AIBN believes the procedure should provide guidance regarding the number and type of chains to use, and how they are to be fitted. In addition, information should be provided about any other measures that need to be implemented in order to meet applicable requirements for the securing of cargo.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that Seafront Transport AS revise its procedures for the placement and securing of cargo so that they provide specific guidelines for or recommendations on how to transport upright concrete elements with or without the use of Ashaped supporting frames.
Safety recommendation ROAD No 2017/07T
The investigation of the accident on the Fv 770 road near Nakling identified deficiencies in the equipment used to secure cargo. The same thing happened in the accident on the Rv 44 road near Tengs in Rogaland in 2005. In both accidents, the A-shaped supporting frames collapsed because they were not designed for the loads they were exposed to. After the accident in 2005, the AIBN recommended that design requirements be defined for such cargo securing equipment. This recommendation was closed when the Norwegian Public Roads Administration stated that it would be introducing requirements in accordance with NS-EN 12195-2, 3 and 4. From its review of the proposals for new regulations on the use of vehicles, the AIBN believes it is unclear whether the regulations also apply to A-shaped supporting frames and other custom-made cargo securing equipment. The AIBN believes it should be clearly stated that the new regulations also cover such equipment.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that new regulations on the use of vehicles specify that cargo securing equipment that does not meet the specified standards, or other cargo securing equipment not described in these regulations, can be approved if it can be documented that it withstands the forces described in the draft new regulations, Section 3-3 (2) and (3).
Safety recommendation ROAD No 2017/08T
The investigation identified deficiencies in the placement and securing of cargo in the accidents on the Fv 770 road near Nakling and the E18 road near Tvedestrand. The same was the case in the accident on the Rv 44 road near Tengs in Rogaland in 2005. After the accidents in 2005, the AIBN recommended that requirements be specified for the sender/carrier to prepare documentation/calculations documenting the proper placement/securing of cargo of great weight and sizes. The recommendation was closed because the Norwegian Public Roads Administration stated that it would look into this in more detail when NS-EN 12195-1 became available. The draft new regulations on cargo securing do not contain any such requirements. The AIBN believes that such documentation is an important measure to improve transport safety, and it will therefore follow up the recommendation issued in the report after the accidents in 2005 with a new recommendation in the same area.
The AIBN recommends that requirements be set out in new regulations on the use of vehicles, stating that the carrier/sender must obtain documentation/calculations or specific guidelines documenting the proper placement/securing of cargo of great weight and sizes, in cases where this information is not available to the driver.
Safety recommendation ROAD No 2017/09T
The investigation of the accidents on the Fv 770 road near Nakling and the E18 road near Tvedestrand identified deficiencies in the placement and securing of cargo. Considering the developments that have taken place in the transport sector in recent years, it is, in the AIBN’s view, not possible for the driver alone to meet the requirements that apply to the placement and securing of cargo. Special equipment often needs to be used in connection with both the transport and securing of cargo, which the carrier or sender must provide. Calculations must also be carried out in connection with the transport of several types of goods in order to be able to secure the goods in accordance with regulations. The AIBN is of the view that the carrier and sender must recognise joint responsibility for ensuring that the cargo is properly secured in accordance with regulations.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Norwegian Public Roads Administration propose to amend Section 23 of the Road Traffic Act, so that the carrier and, if relevant, the sender are assigned joint responsibility for ensuring that the cargo is properly secured, in addition to the responsibility that already rests with the driver.
Facts
| Location | The Fv 770 road in Nærøy in Nord-Trøndelag county and the E18 road in Tvedestrand in Aust-Agder county |
| Occurrence date | 30.11.2014 |
| Accident type | Tipped over in the roadway |
| Vehicle type | Truck and trailer |
| Type of Transportation | Freight transport |
| Accident category | Ulykke m/ kjøretøy over 7500 kg |