| Reducing risk and improving bitumen delivery efficiency |
The large number of deliveries at this site created a high risk of vehicle collisions occurring. The design of the site did not allow for a one-way system as an option to overcome this problem.
An analysis of vehicle movements was made and it was identified that bitumen deliveries were the main contributor to the congestion. The supplier of the bitumen was contacted to help develop a safer workplace.
It was decided to improve the plant’s storage capacity to reduce the number of deliveries. A storage tank was built with a capacity of 200 tonnes, so the site could accommodate six 29 tonne deliveries of bitumen each day. These deliveries were to take place between 18:00 and midnight, outside the normal working hours, to help ease congestion.
However, there were some problems related to this which needed to be resolved. The site would be unmanned during this time so a safe system of work for the delivery drivers was created. The system involved two vehicle deliveries occurring at the same time to avoid lone working. The discharge points
for the tankers were also located adjacent to each other so drivers could monitor each others operation.
Electronic contents gauges and high level alarms were fitted and a traffic light system employed.
As there had been two incidents involving bitumen spray from poorly sealed hose flanges in recent years, spray deflector hoods were also fitted to the discharge points. Noise levels were also considered because of the ‘out of hours’ delivery and were monitored to ensure they remained within acceptable levels.
These measures have helped to reduce not only the daytime deliveries but also the chance of an incident occurring. |