
Thanks to the Log Transport Safety Council and its members that worked quickly to develop a Safety Alert following the unintentional dis-coupling of a full logging trailer while travelling on a highway, I am able to share the attached information.
- 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.