SPOA issues bridge strike safety guidance
22 April 2024
The Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) has published a plant industry best practice guide to bridge strike avoidance in an effort to reduce the estimated 2,000 road and railway bridge strikes that occur each year.
The association says the guidance is much-needed given that 80% of the bridge strikes on Scotland’s trunk road network in 2023 involved plant movement on low loaders.
The guide has been written in collaboration with Network Rail, Transport Scotland, Police Scotland, QBE Insurance, Sedgwick, AB2K, Blackwood Plant Hire, Currie Contractors, GAP Group, Highland Hammer Hire, Jarvie Plant and Malcolm Group. It follows an industry summit hosted by the SPOA in 2023 which led to a working group on the issue being established.
The publication is aimed at all transport departments, transport managers, procurement teams, LGV drivers and companies transporting plant or selling plant, and advice is presented in a format that is easy to remember and implement.
Serious consequences from bridge strikes can include death or serious injury; train derailment; economic loss; loss of driving licence and livelihood; prosecution; increased insurance premiums; loss of operator licence; damage to corporate reputation; and a £2,500 fine and 11 points added to driving licences.
Mark Anderson, Managing Director North at GAP Group, a member of the SPOA Executive Committee, and who led on this initiative, said: “Due to the nature of our industry our load heights are constantly changing, sometimes multiple times each day.
"Whilst best practice guides have been developed by other freight and passenger transport industry partners, these are designed to raise generic awareness for professional drivers and managers of transport companies about the risks and consequences of bridge strikes and provide guidance on how they can be prevented.”
The advice centres on a three-point strategy of ‘Check it, plan it, do it!’ which can be applied to the key areas of bridge safety responsibility. Topics covered include knowing vehicle height, width and weight including trailers; checking that routes and diversions are safe to use; and knowing where to find accurate information.
Traffic Scotland operates a customer care line for trunk road information which is manned 24/7 and can be reached on 0800 028 1414. For other roads, drivers should contact the relevant local authority.
Operators should always display the height of the vehicle in the cab as a reminder, which is the law for a vehicle higher than 3m. The guide also points out that all bridges under 4.95m have a height sign.
The guidance suggests that drivers should periodically be asked to show their depot manager or transport manager that they know how to measure a load height and that random gate checks should be performed.
Operators might also consider providing e-learning opportunities to train managers and drivers about their responsibilities.
The guide gives advice on how to measure the travelling height and load of the vehicle; a bridge height conversion chart and a reminder on traffic signs relating to bridges and permitted vehicle height.
Hazel McDonald, Chief Bridge Engineer at Transport Scotland said: “We welcome the publication of this guidance and thank the other partners involved for their hard work.
“Road user safety is our top priority on the trunk road network and we recognise the importance of working with the industry to raise awareness of potential issues and play our part in improving road safety.”
The guide can be downloaded here and hard copies will be available to pick up from the SPOA’s stand at ScotPlant (Avenue C 13), taking place on 26 and 27 April at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh.
