TOOLBOX TALK

  Once there has been some major occurrence with serious impact on people, assets and the environment, the next best thing from onlookers is to ask what caused it. Well truth is try as you will, there's never been just that single cause of any accident, be it at home, work, play or in the community. What usually happens is that a chain of seemingly small and inconsequential and unrelated events gang up over a space of time to explode in that single forceful reckoning commonly referred to as an accident. What caused it? The real failing is us not recognizing what is ahead after the series of inconsequential, unrelated events or subtle warning signs that intrude on our set daily routine. Take a simple case of a vehicle, dripping brake fluid from a pinhole leak in the hose connecting the reservoir to the chamber. Most drivers will be aware of it happening but will fail to grasp its ultimate importance to their own safety. Or better still, some will be willing to take a chance ...

First word: They say it is not speed that kills but change in speed. Confused? Don’t be because simply put, if a vehicle travelling at 100km/hr is suddenly forced to 0km/hr in a few seconds, the results can be devastating. The occupants could be in for a lot of trouble especially if they were unrestrained by seatbelts while the vehicle was still in motion. That then is the logic behind the saying that it is not speed that kills but CHANGE in SPEED! Excessive speeds + Loss of control accounted for 35%+17% respectively i.e. 52% of crashes recorded in the country – Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Corps Marshal. – (Jan-Nov. 2012). Speed Limits World Health Organization (WHO) identified the issue of speed as a risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing the risk of a crash as well as the severity of injuries resulting. In fact, WHO and the Global Road Safety Partnership, in a publication, Speed Management: a Road Safety Manual for Decision Makers and Practitioners recomm...