1. Safety Alert Road Safety 01/96 Background
Committed to
Safety
Road Safety
Background
A recent third party double fatality highlights the need to alert personnel to the dangers of crossing tarmac roads from graded roads. The fatal incident occurred at a normally closed PDO rig crossing of the main Salalah to Muscat highway. The barriers had been removed temporarily, and not been replaced. A brine tanker entered the restricted crossing and proceeded across the tarmac. A third party vehicle travelling on the tarmac could not stop in time and slammed into the tanker. The collision resulted in two deaths and a serious injury.
Recommendations to prevent recurrence
Travel on pipeline right-of-ways and restricted roads is forbidden, except where specifically authorized. Asset holders are strongly recommended to ensure that all restricted roads in their area have barriers placed at all road crossings to deter traffic. In addition these roads should be clearly marked as restricted to authorised traffic only.
Supervisors are advised to meet out disciplinary action to drivers observed to be using restricted roads without proper authorisation. Properly authorised drivers should be instructed to come to a full stop at all road crossings, regardless of the traffic movement. The driver should not move his vehicle until he has checked the crossing both ways and is confident that there are no oncoming vehicles.
Learning Points
Pipeline right-of-ways and restricted rig roads offer a convenience of travel for specific business purposes. Because of this convenience, drivers may be tempted to use a restricted road. The roads are not always graded on a regular basis and are insufficiently marked with warning signs and control points for regular travel. Right-of-ways and restricted roads are inherently dangerous for this reason. One contractor died in 1994 using a restricted road and now two civilians have also perished.