Safety Bulletin – Reducing the risk of vehicle fires in the heavy vehicle industry

Safety Bulletin – Reducing the risk of vehicle fires in the heavy vehicle industry

The NHVR has released a Safety Bulletin targeting Reducing the risk of vehicle fires in the heavy vehicle industry. NHVR Safety Standards Director Tony Martin said the Bulletin was part of the NHVR’s ongoing investigation into causes and preventative actions relating to heavy vehicle fires.

“The intent of this Safety Bulletin is to remind industry of the common fire risks that have been identified and to outline some actions that can be taken to help mitigate the risks,” Tony said.

“We recently sat down with a cross section of industry and our regulatory partners to further explore the issue of heavy vehicle fires and it is clear that prevention is better than cure. We’ve outlined some measures available to different parts of the heavy vehicle industry that can assist in fire prevention.”

The Bulletin outlines a number of common fire risks in heavy motor vehicles, including:

• Shorting of electrical cables and connections
• Inappropriately rated electrical components
• Fluid line failures
• The heat generated by a turbocharger
• Maintaining a clean engine bay

There are also preventative action operators can take, including:

• Reviewing the common causes of fires and identifying those that may be most present in their fleet
• Reviewing maintenance management systems to remove or reduce any risk factors, and improve the safety of their transport activities
• Ensuring those who carry out servicing or modification on higher-risk components or systems on their vehicles, such as electrical systems, have measures in place to verify that fire risks are not introduced.

Tony said that where an operator experiences a heavy vehicle fire incident, or a near-miss event, they should report the incident.

“This allows the NHVR to improve our understanding of this safety-critical issue,” he said. “Reports can be made to the Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line or to the NHVR’s Vehicle Standards team. For operators accredited in the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme, reports can also be made to the NHVR’s Accreditation team.”

Click here to view the Safety Bulletin – Reducing the risk of vehicle fires in the heavy vehicle industry