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NTDA REACT
NTDA Offers Safety First Advice For Roadside Fitters
Statistics from the Department for Transport for the first quarter of 2011 (the latest period available) showed that goods moved by UK HGVs on UK roads increased year on year by over 6% to 37 billion tonne
kilometres. You only have to look at the traffic on major roads to appreciate the importance of road freight to the economy and behind the scenes, there are armies of engineers and technicians making sure that their fleet vehicles are maintained in tip-top condition. Sometimes this is done in- house, but increasingly, fleet operators are outsourcing their fleet management to specialist companies, many of which are in the tyre business. After wages and fuel, tyres make up a large proportion of a vehicle's running costs and great efforts are made to maximise mileage, including regular pressure and alignment checks.
But however diligent your maintenance schedule, sometimes things do go wrong, such as a puncture, and provision of roadside breakdown assistance is an important part
being seriously injured or killed while working at the roadside. While it is impossible to legislate for the carelessness or stupidity of other road users, it is possible to make sure that the fitter does ever ything in his
power to maximise his own safety by adhering to Health & Safety regulations. The National Tyre Distributors
Association (NTDA) has always stressed the importance of safety and publishes a leaflet entitled 'Recommendations for dealing with roadside tyre service'. This is a comprehensive guide, covering ever y aspect of roadside working, from parking correctly and laying out cones to the recommended equipment to be carried and clothing to be worn, through to what to do when the breakdown has been dealt with and which authorities to inform. So detailed is the guide that it specifies the British Standards to which the various items of equipment should conform and where on the service vehicle the reflective markings should be applied.
Last year the NTDA took matters a step further when it and other organisations in the tyre industr y came together in a group called REACT (Roadside Emergency Action Concerning
Tyres) to formulate a scheme to license tyre fitters working at the roadside. The scheme is called 'Licence to Fit' (LTF) and it has been embraced by companies large and small and has received the
backing of the Highways Agency. Such is the importance that the NTDA places on safety that it quickly decided to make the LTF qualification mandator y for all members' fitters carr ying out roadside maintenance and repairs. Fitters have to undertake training (a number of different training programmes, including some in-house ones from the
larger retail chains have been approved under LTF) and, on successfully completing the course, the fitter receives his LTF card.
The card lasts for five years and the LTF scheme includes mandator y refresher courses to ensure that fitters are kept up to speed with possible changes in legislation and developments in equipment.
NTDA Director Richard Edy believes that adopting LTF, and its approval by the Highways Agency, sets new standards in fitter training and safety for the Association's members. As well as optimising the safety of the roadside technician, Edy believes that LTF also provides benefits for customers and fleet owners. He explains:
Fleets require national
breakdown coverage and there are not many companies who can offer such a service. At the NTDA, we have a breakdown scheme called Tyrelink, to which many of our members belong.
"It operates a call centre, open 24/7, and, when a breakdown is called in, the job is allocated to the nearest participating member. Not only does this ensure that the vehicle operator is attended to in the shortest time possible, but with the adoption of LTF, the customer has the reassurance that his vehicle is in the hands of a competent, properly-trained professional."
Recommendations for Dealing with Roadside Tyre Service
of fleet servicing agreements, often with penalties imposed if repairs are not carried out within a specified time.
To be honest, working on a tyre at the side of a road or motorway is a thankless job – it can be any hour of the day or night, rain or shine, with traffic speeding past and, sadly, every year there are cases of tyre fitters
Service Vehicles
All vehicles must be maintained in a clean condition (particularly lights and reflectors) and must comply with current legal requirements. Reflective markings are considered to be highly recommended in order to draw attention to the vehicle’s presence day or night.
Square or rectangular blocks of colour on the sides of a vehicle are more effective than stripes, especially if fluorescent and/or retro-reflective.
Chevrons should be used on the rear of a vehicle; these chevrons should be marked with fluorescent and / or retro- reflective materials and be a minimum of 150mm wide with the stripes arranged in an upward motion. Various colour combinations can be used however research has identified that the most effective colours are orange and yellow.
The rear outline of the vehicle, where practical, should also be picked out with red retro-
reflective material, and the inside of doors or tailgates could be treated in the same way so that visibility is not lost when doors are open or the tailgate is lowered.
Service vehicles must be equipped with a minimum of two high level amber coloured warning lights / beacons capable of emitting a flashing or rotating beam of light through 360 degrees unobstructed, they must be distinct both night and day. Management and Tyre Technicians are responsible in ensuring that the vehicle and equipment are in good working order.
Service Vehicle Equipment
• A minimum of 8 ballasted traffic cones (approx 18 inches tall with reflective markings)
• High visibility reflective coat which should comply with BS EN 471 (Class 3) regulations and should be large enough to fit over waterproof clothing or a winter jacket
• Reflective vests should also
10 Commercial Tyre Business