Best practice guidelines for TMAs and incident response vehicles

iMOVE’s Incident response vehicles and truck-mounted attenuators project was initiated to provide guidance on best practice for the procurement and use of truck-mounted attenuators (TMA) and incident response vehicles. The project has been completed, and the published outputs are available for download below.

Partners with iMOVE on the project were Austroads, Queensland University of Technology, and Deakin University.

Background

Incident response vehicles (IRVs) are used to manage traffic and protect workers and road users at incident sites. Truck mounted attenuators (TMAs) are used to protect the work area and ameliorate the impacts of errant vehicle crashes at both roadworks and at the sites of unplanned traffic incidents. The required features and usage of TMAs as IRVs may differ from their use in planned roadworks. This project specifically focused on IRVs, including TMAs when used in unplanned incident response scenarios.

On roads with a speed limit of more than 70km/h, incident response and road workers are in a high-risk situation. As proof, as provided in Safe Work Australia 2017 the fatality rate for emergency workers was 1.5 times the national rate, at 2.1 per 100,000 workers.

Truck-mounted attenuators and incident response vehicles (IRVs) provide protection from vehicle intrusion into incident sites. They also ameliorate the impacts of errant vehicle crashes and help to provide traffic guidance to reduce crash risk and minimise incident-related traffic congestion, assisting in road network recovery.

These vehicles are a valuable resource to improve safety for incident responders and road users alike and are used in all Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions. The project delivered a research report and guidelines on TMA and IRV design, manufacture, procurement and use that are applicable and relevant to Austroads member agencies in Australia and New Zealand.

This research was restricted to the use and influence of IRVs and included TMAs when used as IRVs. It primarily looked at their use on 70 km/h roads, due to both the increased danger of faster roads and the likelihood that they also experience high traffic volumes.

Methodology

This project followed a two-phase approach.

1. A comprehensive literature review that included guidelines and standards.
2. Stakeholder consultations with Austroads member agencies.

Literature review

The literature review sought to identify best practices in IRV design, manufacture, procurement, and usage of TMAs. Documents reviewed were from Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and other countries. They included academic papers, vehicle manufacturer specifications, Australian design guidelines, and crash testing and fleet procurement guidelines.

Stakeholder consultations

Stakeholders from 18 organisations were consulted via a 60 to 90 minute video meeting.

Topics covered in both the meetings included:

• Role/s of participant in relation to incident response and IRVs
• IRV types and their essential features and capabilities for incident response
• Awareness of and familiarity with specific documents, standards and/or guidelines relevant to incident response and IRVs
• Adequacy of current documented guidance
• What informs current practice (in addition to identified guidelines etc.)
• Ways to improve the design or manufacture of IRVs
• Conflicts and inconsistencies between documented guidance and other organisational policies, requirements, legislation, including other jurisdictions
• Gaps or inefficiency in policies or implementation
• Ways to improve guidelines for use of TMAs in incident response
• Real-time information for resource allocation
• Adequacy of operational and human resources
• Adequacy of communication technology
• Adequacy of lighting provisions and requirements
• Additional technology to support incident responders
• Training requirements for TMA operators in incident response
• Other issues identified over the course of the consultations

Key issues and opportunities

Stakeholders noted that currently there are inconsistencies in lighting colours and patterns across the various jurisdictions and therefore is an opportunity to standardise warning lights for IRVs including TMAs.

There was some discussion between some non-government IRS providers regarding which TMA design and type was better for certain environments and in particular tunnels. “Two industry stakeholders provided extensive feedback on TMA design and the attendant implications for safe and appropriate use in general applications and incident response specifically.

Further work

Implications for guidelines development

1. IRV design

From the information gathered during the consultation phase, the features and fit-outs of the general utility IRVs varied among stakeholders depending on the operational needs and the role/purpose of the vehicles. There was a limited amount of literature and research that investigated the effectiveness of each of these features during incident response.

2. Use of TMAs in incident response

There was relatively little research that specifically concerned roadway incident response within the scope of the project, where emergency services such as police, ambulance and fire and rescue were not the focus. Design features, fit-outs, and equipment carried on utility vehicles and attenuator vehicles differed among stakeholders, based on their specific needs. The literature provided little information regarding the usefulness or effectiveness of these characteristics and design features. Future research should test these features to identify best practices for suitable and safe for incident management.

Stakeholder consultations raised several important issues regarding the use of TMAs, particularly in relation to how and where they are deployed, and which designs would be most appropriate for specific circumstances. These issues are relevant to the design and manufacture of IRVs and the appropriate and optimal use of these vehicles, including but not limited to TMAs. Discussion of TMA testing regimes and approval processes indicated detailed knowledge of those issues among some stakeholders but not others.

Further examination of the apparent inconsistencies and conflicts between existing guidelines, standards and manuals, including their underlying principles, and what occurs in practice often out of the necessity to efficiently manage limited resources is needed.

Conclusions

While many of the stakeholders interviewed for this project would welcome greater consistency and harmonisation of policies and practices, they stressed the need to provide flexibility for the incident response service providers according to their specific needs and capabilities (e.g., types and number of IRV required relative to traffic network characteristics).

It was recognised that those needs and capabilities change over time as road networks and related technologies evolve and may vary substantially by geographic region. Incident response services adopting or trialling new and innovative measures should seek to evaluate those measures and share results with other jurisdictions for future reference.

Expected prokect impacts

This guidance will help create a safer environment for incident response teams and road workers while still allowing practitioners to respond to differing local needs.”

Amy Naulls Austroads Transport Network Operations Program Manager.

Download project outpus

Click the links below to download dosuments proving information on outputs from the project:

• Incident Response Vehicle Design and Procurement and the Use of Truck-Mounted Attenuators in Incident Response
• Guidelines for the Use of Truck-Mounted Attenuators in Incident Response
• Guidelines for the Design and Procurement of Incident Response Vehicles

All links will require

Webinar

In March 2024, Austroads hosted a webinar, providing an overview of the project, including the findings of the literature review, results of the stakeholder consultations and guideline development. Watch the webinar here.

Subsequent project

Austroads continued s working on research and guidance on the use and specification of TMA for a range of road worksites. For more information visit Guidance for the use of Truck Mounted Attenuators during temporary traffic management and incident response