Upload
others
View
0
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Raphael Grzebieta (PhD)Emeritus Professor, Transport & Road Safety (TARS) Research Centre - UNSW
Adjunct Professor, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine - Monash University
Project Research Team MembersProf. Raphael Grzebieta (Team Leader), Associate Prof. George Rechnitzer, Dr. Soufiane Boufous, Keith Simmons,
Prof. Andrew McIntosh, Dr. David Hicks, Prof. Ann Williamson, Prof. Jake Olivier
Project SponsorsTony Williams (SafeWork NSW), Diane Vaughan (SafeWork NSW)
In-Field Operator Protective Device (OPD) Safety Survey of Australian and New Zealand Workplace Quad Bike Riders
17 test vehicles
- Eight ‘work’ Quad bikes
- Three rec/sport Quad bikes
- Five Side-by-Side Vehicles – (SSVs)
- Prototype Quad Bike – wider track, open/ lockable differential & suspension changes
The test program (approx. 1000 tests)
- Part 1 tests measured Static Rollover Stability
- Part 2 tests measured Dynamic Handling Stability
- Part 3 tests measured Rollover Crashworthiness(Coronial and injury data collection and analysis completed as supplementary report)
- The 4th stage – Australian Terrain Vehicle Assessment Program (ATVAP) safety ratings, which incorporates all three parts
Quad Bike Performance Project - Test Program
http://www.tars.unsw.edu.au/research/Current
/Quad-Bike_Safety/Performance_Project.html
Grzebieta R., Rechnitzer G., Simmons K. and McIntosh A.S., (2015a). “Final Summary Project Report: Test Results, Conclusions, and Recommendations”, Quad Bike Performance Project TARS Research Report No 4, submitted to the WorkCover Authority of New South Wales, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Quad Bike Performance Project (TARS UNSW)Investigated Closed Coroner Cases (Aus)
• 109 complete fatality cases from 2000 - 2012
• Police reports, pathology reports, coronial findings, photographs and witness statements reviewed
• Activity: 54 Farm work; 55 Recreational
• Main injury mechanism: Rollover (71%) n = 77 resulting in being Pinned and/or Asphyxia
54 riders were “pinned” by the vehicle (from 109 cases reviewed)
30 cases of asphyxia in total
37 pinned from 54 farm work fatalities
20 farm asphyxia cases with no or minor injuryIndustry (FCAI) claimed
there were no asphyxiations!
Operator Protection Devices (OPD)
• Considerable interest in the farming community and workplace for the fitment of OPDs
• In principle, it appears such systems may have a protective benefit in rollover crashes from QBPP test results.
Quadbar TRAX LifeGuard
Quad Bike Safety Survey Project
• Small progress made in reducing rollover incidents – mostly via education/media/training
• Some progress made in regards to reducing crash severity & fatalities – rebates for OPDs, helmets, Side by Side Vehicles
• Controversy still remained regarding claimed harm of OPDs & their effectiveness. Strongly opposed by the Quad bike manufacturers as unsafe based mainly on computer simulations (FCAI), i.e. virtual reality as opposed to real world.
• FCAI funded regular court appearances as defendants against OPDs and various attempts to discredit our research in the press and social media!
Source: Safe Work Australia https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/quad-bike-fatality-data
TARS QBPP reports released.
NSW Quad bike rebate introduced.
Victoria Quad bike rebate introduced soon after.
Quad Bike Safety Survey Project
Survey of Australian and New Zealand workplace riders
• Primary objective of this survey-based study project was to identify if fitment of rollbars (OPDs) caused harm to riders in a rollover crash in the workplace environment and to what extent are rollbars protective in rollover incidents involving quad bikes
• Secondary object was to assess the effectiveness of helmets in regards to preventing head injuries
• Response to the lack of information on in-field OPD performance in rollover crashes and helmet effectiveness in all crashes as opposed to published findings from computer modelling and tests proposed by FCAI
Quad Bike Safety Survey Project
The project started in May 2016 after
receiving ethics approval
Approval received in July 2016 for NZ
Report officially released June 2017
http://www.tars.unsw.edu.au/news/2017/Quad-Bike-
Survey_Report.html
Quad Bike Safety Survey Project
• Survey study comprised of responses from three ‘high exposure’ workplace categories:
Sub-study (i): Case Study Quad bike Tour Company with 20 years of crash history data. Now servicing 25,000 patrons/year
Sub-study (ii): Quad bike Fleet Managers Survey of 12 Australian and 4 NZ companies
- 436 Quad bikes total
- majority fitted with Quadbar (167) or Lifeguard OPD (150)
Sub-study (iii): Main Rider Survey on line via internet (1,546 individual workplace Quad bike riders)
Sub-study (i): Case study major Quad bike tour company
Sub-study (i): Case study major Quad bike tour company
Sub-study (ii): Quad bike Fleet Managers Survey
• Intent of survey: identify from large users of Quad bikes with OPDs (high exposure) whether OPDs in the field were resulting in serious injuries
• Provide ‘first glimpse’ overview of ‘in field’ data prior to the much broader Sub-study (iii) survey
• 57 rollover crashes no OPD
• 12 crashes with OPD
• Managers asked whether OPD prevented or caused injury
• Responses: OPD prevented injury in 10 of 12 rollover cases:
o 8 cases OPD stopped Quad bike rolling onto the rider
o 2 cases held Quad bike off rider during rollover
o 1 case made no difference to crash outcome
Injury severity by OPD type
Sub-study (ii): Quad bike Fleet Managers Survey
Fleet Manager’s response regarding effectiveness of OPD in preventing or causing an injury
Serious Injury (1):
Quadbar jammed suspension.
Rider claimed without Quadbar
injuries would have been worse.
Sub-study (ii): Quad bike Fleet Managers Survey
Individual Workplace Riders Survey
o rider demographics
o Quad bike type
o usage for work (commodity group, work tasks performed, etc.)
o whether an OPD was installed
o whether a helmet was worn or not in a crash and its type
o the terrain over which the Quad bike ridden
o load carrying & passenger carrying
o detailed information relating to any incidents involving Quad bike for up to three of their most recent incidents, injuries and their type and severity
o If injuries resulted from the crash caused by an OPD
o head injuries with and without a helmet
o and a large amount of other safety relevant information
Questionnaire designed to gathered information on:
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
Crash history of the 1,546 respondents (riders)49% experienced no crashes 51% experienced a total 1,430 crashes
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
Of the 51% experienced a total 1,430 crashesCrash history of the 1,546 respondents (riders)
868 rollover crashes with NO OPD fitted & rider was injured 55 serious injuries (hospitalised) and 123 minor injuries
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
Of those 55 serious injuries 24 had serious chest injuries
where in 20 of these the Quad bike ‘rolled over the rider’
Trend is significant
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
Van Ee at al (2012) / SVIA / FCAI inference HIGH RISK
Multivariate Regression Analysis Key Statistically Significant Results
Multivariate Regression Analysis Key Statistically Significant Results
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
RISK OF CRASHING
Multivariate Regression Analysis Key Statistically Significant Results
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
RISK OF CRASHING
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
RISK OF ANY INJURY
Multivariate Regression Analysis Key Statistically Significant Results
Sub-study (iii): Individual Workplace Riders Survey
RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY (hospitalisation)
Multivariate Regression Analysis Key Statistically Significant Results
Not OK to let Quad Bike roll over rider! UNACCEPTABLE HAZARD
Van Ee at al (2012) / SVIA / FCAI inference that it is OK to allow Quad bike to roll over rider HIGH RISK
Industry Perspective: Quad bike rolling over the rider OK
Van Ee C., Toomey D. and Moroski-Browne B., (2012). “ATV Rollover, Operator Response, and Determinants of Injury: Implications for SCPDs”, Presentation from Design Research and Engineering of work sponsored by the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), at US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s The ATV Safety Summit, Bethesda, USA. https://www.cpsc.gov/content/atv-safety-summit-vehicle-technology-roll-over-protection (At 50 minute mark into presentation)
Inferred that this is OK!
Van Ee at al. (funded by SVIA)
demonstrated in 2012 to the US
Consumer Product Safety Commission
at ATV summit in Bethesda USA how a
Quad bike rolling over a rider did not
injure the rider
SSF of Quad Bikes/ SSVs – comparison to NHTSA’s Mengert for cars, SUVs & trucks?
0.3 1.0 1.5
NHTSA data on rollovers per Single-vehicle crash estimated from Six states, adjusted for differences in road use or State reporting.
Quads SSVs
SUVsUtes … Sedans
Trucks
LOWER stability
HIG
H
risk
HIGHER stability
LOW
risk
Crash history of the 1,546 respondents (riders)Of the 51% experienced a total 1,430 crashes: Helmet use
Individual Workplace Riders Survey
Crash history of the 1,546 respondents (riders)Of the 51% experienced a total 1,430 crashes: Helmet use
Individual Workplace Riders Survey
Key ConclusionsImportantly:
o No fatalities recorded in any previous studies or this study attributed to or
associated with OPD
o No serious chest or head injury attributed to or associated with OPD
o In field study data indicates that with increasing rollover crash severity the
Quadbar or Lifeguard OPDs becomes increasingly more protective of the
rider receiving serious chest injuries
o Quad bike specific helmets appear to reduced the incidence of head
injuries.
Policy – New Australian federal government Consumer Goods law for Quad bikes - minimum Static Stability requirement, mandatory fitment of OPD & labelling
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2019L01321
Questions?