The following information was received in the most recent ALTRA newsletter in relation to transporters pushing for new ramp (and possibly pens/gates/yards etc) standards. LSAV has not received any information on this process and I would be interested to know if any members have been asked about this or received any information from the transport sector.
Work starts on the new ramp standard
I’m pretty pumped to report that the federal bureaucrats have been moving quickly to start work on this project. This week, they’ve appointed former Victorian WorkSafe officer Kevin Simmonds to do a lot of the leg work on the issues surrounding ramp safety nationally. This will involve identifying and analysing existing information on the safety issues involved not just with ramps but also races, holding pens, yards, forcing pens etc.
Of course, once we get to a point where we have all the safety concerns listed and current design issues sorted, we’ll be talking to everyone concerned about the best way to proceed. We’ll be doing this collectively so we get the right outcome and improve safety for our members and others involved.
John Beer, ALRTA President
John’s opening comments mention that we’ll be looking for member input shortly (and others who are interested) on the key safety issues you face at pick up and receival points.
We’ll do that through a member questionnaire soon but we need you to start collecting information now as we have to have the report drafted and finalised in the next six weeks. The types of things we’ll be looking for include, but are not limited to:
1. What factual issues exist now (not wish lists) that cause safety problems in doing your job;
2. The types of sites we need to be focussing on eg livestock exchange, abattoirs, feedlots,export terminals, farms;
3. Photographs that clearly identify the concern you have (remember the saying that every picture tells a thousand words and we want to include photos in the Report);
4. Case studies of previous injuries or incidents (which show why there is a need to improve and change). This goes for not just transporters but others like Agents who have been injured when struck by a gate etc).
We’d also like to know if you would “volunteer” to collect information and be more involved in a small working group encouraging others to participate.This is a great opportunity to develop an important long term safety improvement in our industry and we need your help.
Please start thinking about this TODAY, we need your support to make this project a success.
Hello Mark McDonald + Mathew Munro (ALTRA), + John Beer (ALTRA)….
Concerning your study into “New Ramp Safety” … we have a glancing interest in what you are doing here.
Our interest stems from RFID issues … as we have been long planning to incorporate the Loading / un-Loading Ramp as a future integral component, with an array of shielded RFID Readers running down both sides of the Ramp… etc…etc
When time and resources permit us, we will fabricate a Ramp in the manner we consider best for RFID reading whilst loading and unloading (most likely at a close substantial sale-yard … Bendigo?).
You seem to be advancing quickly on your preferred design Research…. and, we would like to be kept abreast of the directions….at the moment, you are a bit ahead of us, but we will try and synchronize with you. Better late than never?
We would like to offer some suggestions that may have significance to the standard in such a way that in some future time the addition of RFID readers can be usefully accommodated (retrofitted?)
We are formulating an “in-house” futures concept for SaleYard RFID… the Loading and Un-Loading Ramps are the portals, therefore you can see our interest in our thinking (Truck mounted Readers are also under consideration).
Perhaps via this forum/Blog you can keep us up to date.
Kind Regards … Ray Seidel