Title: Innovative automotive design for improving safety standards

Authors: Ambarish Kulkarni; Ajay Kapoor; Mahalinga Iyer; Vladis Kosse

Addresses: Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Science, Swinburne University of Technology, H38, John St, Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia ' Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Science, Swinburne University of Technology, H38, John St, Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia ' Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia ' Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia

Abstract: Car carriers are a type of semitrailer which exhibit Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) concerns due to falls from height during operations. This paper outlines research carried out on the car carrier sector to prevent hazard due to falls. A new design addresses OHS concerns of falls from height. Injuries are often caused by drivers working above 1.5 m height for loading-unloading of cars, moving decks up and down and strapping cars in. The new car carrier design excels in reducing the risk of injuries to drivers and represents a new bench mark for OHS standards in the heavy vehicle sector. The next step would be to transfer this technology to other similarly affected heavy vehicle sectors.

Keywords: vehicle safety; semitrailers; car carriers; automotive safety; OHS; occupational health and safety; falls from height; product design; injuries; vehicle design; car transporters; injury risks; heavy vehicles.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVS.2012.048532

International Journal of Vehicle Safety, 2012 Vol.6 No.1, pp.9 - 27

Received: 21 Sep 2011
Accepted: 14 Dec 2011
Published online: 31 Dec 2014 *

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