How to Build a Comprehensive Transport Safety System

The Evolution of Transport Safety: From Audit to Digital Control

Ensuring transport safety across a large industrial holding is a task that goes beyond standard briefings. The presence of an extensive logistics infrastructure, open-pit and underground self-propelled equipment, as well as an in-house railway fleet requires a transition from reactive incident investigation to proactive risk management. The presentation details the practical experience of PhosAgro, where a comprehensive system has been built since 2018, reducing fatal transport injuries to zero.

The speaker breaks down the transformation journey: from acknowledging an unsatisfactory safety state and conducting objective audits to implementing advanced machine vision systems. The foundation for these changes was a deep root-cause analysis that identified the top 4 injury factors: vehicle rollover, failure to use seat belts, presence of people in the railway traffic zone, and speeding.

Organizational Barriers and Tackling Root Causes

An analysis of real incidents showed that violations are often driven by systemic issues in work organization. Using the example of a mining dump truck colliding with a contractor's vehicle, the speaker demonstrates how a formal approach conceals the true causes of incidents. The investigation revealed critical driver fatigue due to a rotational schedule with night shifts and the side effects of medications.

To eliminate such root causes, the following steps were implemented:

• Abandoning the rotational method in favor of a permanent schedule: normalizing the work and rest regime reduced the physiological strain on heavy machinery drivers.
• Implementing objective pre-trip medical examination systems: automated complexes eliminated the human factor and formalism when clearing drivers for duty.
• Creating mobile road safety groups: internal patrols daily monitor speed limits (40 km/h limit), seat belt usage, and escort oversized cargo, which radically reduced the number of critical violations by contractor organizations.

Technical Assistants: Machine Vision and Telemetry

Realizing that administrative measures alone are insufficient, especially in harsh climatic conditions and poor visibility, the company relied on technical barriers. The implementation of digital systems made it possible to eliminate the human factor in critical situations.

• Driver Fatigue Monitoring System (FMS): cameras in dump truck cabins detect signs of falling asleep, smoking, or phone usage. If deviations are detected, a signal is instantly sent to the dispatcher and foreman, allowing them to promptly remove the fatigued worker from the line and prevent accidents.
• Onboard machine vision system on locomotives: in conditions of high steam generation and zero visibility, the system recognizes people, equipment, and obstacles on the tracks, automatically applying emergency braking if there is a threat of collision.
• Telecommunication system for driver alertness (TKSBM): a telemetry bracelet reads the worker's physiological indicators. If the alertness level drops below critical, the system automatically stops the locomotive, preventing accidents due to sudden health deterioration.
• Laser visualization of danger zones: the projection of red lines around operating open-pit and underground equipment clearly marks the boundaries of the danger zone for pedestrians, which is particularly effective in highly dusty and poorly lit mine conditions.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to identify hidden systemic causes of transport incidents and move away from formal investigations?
• How is the fatigue monitoring of mining dump truck drivers technically implemented, and what is its real effectiveness?
• What machine vision tools can prevent a locomotive from hitting a person in zero visibility conditions?
• How to organize the work of mobile road safety groups for strict control over contractor transport?
• How to automate pre-trip medical examinations and prevent workers in an unstable physical condition from being cleared for duty?