GASCO Road Safety Procedure
GASCO Road Safety Procedure
GASCO Road Safety Procedure
Revision – 2, OctoberAUTHORITY
2006 FOR ISSUE
Management Review
Continuous Improvement
Signature :
This document has been produced and approved by the HSE Division
Any enquiries relating to the document should be addressed to the HSE Division Manager
OPP 17
HRG 18
PRD 29
Definitions 19
Appendix
1. Pre-journey Vehicle Inspection 20
2. What to do if Involved in an Accident 21
3. Guidance on Braking Distances for Light Vehicles 22
4. Desert Safety Box 23
5. General Manager’s Circular on the Use of Mobile Phones by Drivers 24
6. Journey Manager Checklist 25
7. Maximum Speed Specification for Light Vehicles Tyres 26
When reference is made for actions to be taken, the intent of the words is as follows:
Should, Would, If Possible means that an action is not mandatory but is recommended
Vehicle accidents are a major issue in the United Arab Emirates and those accidents that
have an impact on GASCO, particularly in human terms, are a source of great concern to
me. Road safety is an integral part of GASCO’s HSE Management System (HSE MS)
and this Procedure defines road safety standards and provides guidance to staff so that
we might eliminate road accidents. Whilst the Procedure refers to work related activities,
it also provides an opportunity to learn how we can positively influence our private lives.
I wish to make it clear that we should, and can, avoid the suffering caused by road
accident injuries, the distress to families and colleagues and the loss incurred by Gasco.
We all have a part to play and we must insist on the highest standard of driver behaviour
from both GASCO staff and contractors.
Mohammed Sahoo
General Manager
In terms of road safety (and off-road safety), these requirements will be met by the
implementation of the GASCO Road Safety Procedure.
2. Where contractors are subject to their own HSE MS, the contract holder must
verify the effectiveness of the contractor’s road safety controls and ensure that
road safety is managed in line with this Procedure
9. All drivers are required to have a valid U.A.E. driving licence, obey the U.A.E.
Traffic Rules and to comply with the requirements of this Procedure (see
Section 4.2)
1. Light vehicles (car, pick-up, 4-wheel drive vehicle etc., weighing less than 2.5
tonnes) normally seating a driver plus 1 to 4 passengers
2. Mini Buses normally seating a driver plus 8 to 12 passengers
3. Buses normally seating a driver plus up to 41 passengers
4. Cargo carrying vehicles weighing more than 2.5 tonne when unloaded
5. Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV)
6. Specialist vehicles such as forklift trucks, cranes etc.
3.2.1 All vehicles owned or hired by GASCO must be fit for purpose and correctly
equipped for the job being undertaken. Certain minimum standards apply
and these are defined in the HRG procedure ‘Specification for Vehicles
Owned or Hired by GASCO, including Tyres’. These same standards apply
to all contractor owned or hired vehicles employed on GASCO business by
contractors who are subject to the GASCO HSE MS.
3.2.2 The use of motor cycles to carry out Company business is not allowed
3.2.3 Personal vehicles and spot hire taxis and cars used on Company business
must have seat belts fitted for the driver and all passengers
Each vehicle that is owned or hired by GASCO will be considered as an asset and
have a nominated owner appointed by HRG. The nominated owner will be
responsible for ensuring the vehicles roadworthiness, cleanliness, maintaining the
service schedule and the availability (except for specialist vehicles) of a fire
extinguisher, first aid kit, reflective triangles, high visibility jackets and a tool kit.
Vehicles should not be used for purposes for which they are not designed
The UAE driving environment necessitates certain tyre selection and replacement
criteria. These are included in the HRG procedure ‘Specification for Vehicles
Owned or Hired by GASCO, including Tyres’. A table showing the maximum speed
specification for light vehicles tyres is included in Appendix 7.
This Section applies to all Professional Drivers and Occasional Drivers who are
subject to the GASCO HSE Management System (see Table1 for details).
1. Hold a valid UAE driving license appropriate to the type of vehicle being
driven
2. Be over 21 years of age and have at least one year’s relevant
experience of driving light vehicles. For drivers of all other vehicles, a
minimum of two year’s relevant experience is required. Personnel over
the age of 55 years may only be employed as a Professional Driver with
written dispensation from the Division Manager, which is reviewed
annually
3. Undergo medical checks to ensure their continuing fitness to drive
professionally. These checks are defined in the ADNOC Medical
Guidelines available from HSE/4.
4. Only take off-duty rest in the cab of the vehicle if the vehicle has bunk
facilities
5. Not take rest under a vehicle or trailer for the purposes of shade
These are personnel who are not employed as Professional Drivers but who
may, on occasions, have to drive on GASCO business as part of their job.
Personnel who are issued (including temporary issue) with Company owned
or hired vehicles for both business and private use are included in this
category. In such circumstances this Procedure applies to both business
and private journeys. They must hold a valid UAE driving license
appropriate to the type of vehicle being driven and will be required to obtain
the “GASCO Safe Driving Document for Occasional Drivers”.
Personnel who are on a UAE Visit or Mission Visa and who have an
International Driving License may only drive rented vehicles and must carry
with them their International Driving License, their Visit or Mission Visa and
their passport. They may not drive GASCO owned vehicles or GASCO
vehicles hired through the Tariff Committee.
If personnel use their own private vehicle on GASCO business then the
vehicle must comply with the standards defined in this Procedure and the
driver must have a GASCO Safe Driving Document. (GASCO business
does not include traveling to and from their normal place of work).
All drivers subject to the GASCO HSE MS are responsible for managing their own
road safety risks in accordance with this Procedure, but in particular shall:
The training provider will also advise HRG of those drivers who have not
successfully completed the training, and HRG will arrange retraining after a
minimum of 2 weeks
If an Occasional Driver fails any part of the training he will retake the driving
test component after a minimum of two weeks. If he continues to fail to meet
the required standard, even with coaching, he shall be considered unsuitable
as an Occasional Driver.
The GASCO Safe Driving Document will be valid for two years.
1. Where a hands-free facility is available, the driver may not use a mobile phone
unless it is connected to this equipment
2. Where a hands free facility is not available, the driver may not use a mobile
phone unless it is fitted with an ear piece and microphone
3. Drivers may not make outgoing calls unless their vehicle is parked in a safe
location and any in-coming calls should be completed as soon as possible
4. Drivers must not use their mobile phones whilst re-fuelling
Note that the use of 2-way radios while driving is not allowed
The risks associated with driver fatigue that results from work related journeys and
commuting to/from a place of work must be assessed and managed by all drivers.
Drivers should be aware of the risks created by fatigue and recognize its signs, for
example, difficulty in focusing eyes, yawning, drifting out of lane, dropping head
etc.
The radio or an open window must not be relied upon to keep a driver awake.
Drivers must respond to such symptoms by finding a safe place to stop and taking
a break or brief sleep. Drinking coffee or other source of caffeine will promote
short-term alertness.
5.1 Fitting
To assist in the improvement of driving safety standards, all light vehicles (as
identified in Section 3.1), which are hired for 1 year or longer, or owned by GASCO,
shall be fitted with a vehicle monitoring device (VMD). This device will record
certain details of each journey such as speed, distance, harsh acceleration, harsh
deceleration time and date.
HRG will be responsible for training staff selected by the Division Managers to
download data and prepare information from the VMD for use by the Division
Managers. This may result in disciplinary action in the event of any failure to meet
the requirements of this procedure. The information from the VMD may also be
used for driver recognition purposes.
6.1 Violations
Violations are defined as follows and apply to staff driving GASCO owned or hired
vehicles and contractor vehicles where the contractor is subject to the Gasco HSE
MS
1. Speeding. This is defined as a violation when data obtained from the VMD shows
an average speed in excess of 120 km/hr or a maximum speed exceeding
140km/hr
2. Traffic offences including parking reported by the Police to GASCO or to the
contractor
3. Traffic offences where the Police have taken action against the driver. It is the
driver’s responsibility to report the fact to his line manager, and in the case of a
contractor, to the relevant GASCO Manager
4. Speeding or unacceptable driving behaviour on site
The Division Managers will deal with all violations according to the GASCO
Personnel Policy. In particular, it should be noted that as a minimum a ‘Draw
Attention Notice’ must be completed for all violations without prejudice to any
other action or steps stipulated by law or Company Policy.
6.2 Accidents
All accidents, regardless of location, on or off site, on or off road, must be reported
using the GASCO Incident Classification, Investigation and Reporting Procedure.
If any conditions exist which make it unsafe for driving, then Division Managers (or
a nominated responsible person) must issue an instruction to suspend road
transport activities. They should also advise other Division Managers so that they
might alert their staff.
The acceptable visibility for driving in fog or conditions of reduced visibility is 100
metres of clear vision.
When planning a business trip where fog is anticipated then the destination location
should be contacted to check the weather conditions. In case there is fog, the
journey must be postponed until the fog clears.
Drivers may encounter a build up of wind blown sand on some roads and they must
be alert to this condition. Speed must be reduced to prevent potential loss of
control and to give more time to take safe evasive action.
The relevant Control Centre must be advised when the journey is starting and
when the destination is reached. The Control Centre will initiate a search if the
driver has not reached his destination and three hours have elapsed since the last
contact.
Travel in the desert should be avoided when the sun is directly overhead. The sand
is softest at this time of day and potential hazards are more difficult to see because
of the lack of shadows. If tyre pressures have been adjusted for desert driving,
make sure they are re-adjusted when returning to a hard surface road. Vehicles
must be fitted with a flagpole minimum height 3 metres, displaying a red flag to
indicate presence of the vehicle when traveling over sand dunes. The flagpole must
be a non-conductor of electricity and be flexible.
9. Bicycles/Tricycles
1. Check the condition of the bicycle before use and arrange repairs if necessary
2. Wear a safety or cycle helmet with a strap fitted below the chin
3. Wear clothing that will not get tangled in the bicycle wheels or chain
4. Wear a reflective item if cycling during hours of darkness
5. Only carry tools and equipment in the carrier or basket provided for that
purpose
6. Not carry passengers
7. Not take a bicycle into a restricted area if the bicycle is fitted with lights or non-
intrinsically safe equipment.
1. Plant Division Managers must ensure that adequate provisions are made for
pedestrians. Paths shall be provided wherever possible to segregate moving
traffic and personnel. Proper crossing points for pedestrians shall be provided
on commonly used routes
2. Pedestrians must keep to the paths, where provided.
Light vehicle Car or utility vehicles weighing less than 2.5 tonnes,
normally seating a driver plus up to 4 passengers
Cargo Carrying Vehicle Weighing more than 2.5 tonnes when unloaded,
normally seating a driver plus 1 or 2 passengers plus a
cargo area
The driver must confirm the following items prior to using a vehicle:
In the case of any vehicle that will not be used on public roads it will be sufficient to have a
system of daily checks for the above items. The nominated owner must make the daily
check arrangements.
Defects in any of the above must be reported to the nominated owner and the vehicle should
not be used until it is repaired to an acceptable standard.
If any bodywork damage is observed it must be reported to the nominated owner prior to
staring the journey.
The driver must carry out the following checks prior to driving off road:
1. Fuel supply is adequate
2. Desert safety box is available (see Appendix 4 for box contents)
3. Communication by radio or mobile phone is available
4. He understands the route
5. Adequate drinking water is available
6. Vehicle displays a flag on an elevated mast
32 6 6 12
50 9 14 23
65 12 24 36
80 15 38 53
96 18 55 73
120 23 87 110
The table is based on an alert car driver on a dry road and with clear conditions. The braking
distance indicated above should be doubled for wet roads. When a driver is fatigued then
response distances are greater.
- Torch
- Shovel
- Emergency telephone list
- Binoculars
- Hand gloves
- Eye goggles
- Dust masks
- Chain cutter
- Towrope
- Crowbar
- Smoke canisters (2)
- Heliograph signaling mirror
- Cyalume Light Sticks
- Compass
- Tyre gauge