Vehicle safety supplies for mining and construction sites

Ensuring your work ute, truck or vehicle is safe and compliant is important for civil contractors. Why? Because any vehicle that is used for work is considered a workplace itself. That means it is subject to many similar OH&S considerations as your site, workshop or office.

When your vehicle is your workplace, it becomes vital to ensure it has all the necessary safety gear on board to keep you covered in the event of an emergency, as well as ensuring the exterior is kitted out to the safety specs of your site.

This means there are certain vehicle safety supplies that must be stored in your ute, as well as safety features that need to be fitted. Whilst some of these are optional, many are not, so make sure you have the basics covered to comply with workplace health and safety legislation.

Here’s a few items to add to your vehicle to ensure that you can be safely seen by others on site, that you’re prepared in case of an emergency, and that you can adequately isolate your vehicle in the event of a breakdown.

Exterior vehicle safety supplies

Safety flags

Safety Flags give plant operators and other drivers on site a greater chance of seeing approaching vehicles. They also help to minimise the risk of accidents on mining sites and large construction projects. The flag is easily fixed to a vehicle and the flexible single piece 3 metre high pole gives excellent visibility from all angles. Get one here.

Cargo nets and tie downs

Ensuring your load is covered is a simple way to increase vehicle safety. Not only does it eliminate the threat of hefty fines for uncovered loads, a cargo net reduces your chances of losing cargo and keeps your loose items in place, ensuring they do not leave the vehicle and do damage to other motorists or people on site. Similarly, tie downs can be ratcheted tight across your load, keeping boxes, crates, tools and building supplies secure.

Wheel chocks

Rubber wheel chocks are specified in some industries to ensure parked vehicles don’t roll out of position. Jaybro carries a range of heavy-duty rubber wheel chocks that provide a sturdy, firm grip on almost all surfaces. These are ideal for use with large plant vehicles and small trucks.

High-vis fluorescent tape

This tape helps to give your work vehicle extra visibility around construction, industrial and mine sites. The bright lime yellow adhesive tape can be used on any smooth surfaces, making it perfect for applying to your car. We can also supply fleet markings and UHF numbers etc, please contact our team for details on custom stickers.

Interior vehicle safety supplies

Fire extinguishers

Most contractors would know that a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit are critical pieces of equipment to keep in your work vehicle. They are relatively small and can be tucked away out of sight so there’s no excuse not to have these safety supplies on hand in case you need them.

Vehicle fire extinguishers such as the 1kg ABE powder fire extinguisher come complete with a vehicle bracket making it easy to fit the extinguisher into the interior. Having a fire extinguisher installed in your car is critical in limiting the amount of damage caused by any kind of ignition in any of your vehicle. The Jaybro ABE Powder is a versatile multi-purpose extinguisher which is used to extinguish waste, timber, flammable liquids and electrical fires.

Vehicle first aid kits

A first aid kit for your ute or work car is critical, ensuring that you’ll always be prepared for minor emergencies during the work day (or night). Jaybro supplies the R1 Vehicle Max First Aid Kit, a compact kit that has enough supplies for up to 10 people. The soft pack case is easy to tuck behind the cab or in an easy to reach place.

Spill kits for vehicles

Many of our customers find that a general purpose spill kit is adequate for most applications. If you’re carrying any particularly dangerous chemicals, lots of oils or other special substances, you might need a specific spill kit.

For most applications, however, the 40L Spill Response Cab Kit is a great compact spill kit that can be used in a car, ute or work truck. This spill kit can absorb up to 40 litres of hydrocarbons such as oils, fuels and degreasers, as well as non-aggressive water-based liquids such as paints and coolants.

Important Note: Check your safety gear regularly

It’s important with any perishable safety items, or those with a set service life, that you check the condition of them on a regular basis.

Realising in the midst of an emergency that your fire extinguisher has been discharged and never serviced, or that your first aid kit is out of the one thing you need, is never a good result!

Make a simple schedule to check your supplies regularly so that you’ll always be prepared for any situation.

What to do in the event of a breakdown

If you break down on a public road, it’s important to ensure that your vehicle is as far off the road as possible and that you can be seen by passing motorists.

Switch on your hazard lights and use emergency triangles placed on the approach to the vehicle. This gives other drivers as much notice as possible that they will need to merge lanes to go around your vehicle, or simply alert them that you are broken down in the shoulder.

The Australian Trucking Association and the Victorian Transport Industry Safety Group recommend that placement of Emergency Warning Triangles behind the vehicle should be at the following distances:

• Two and a half times the posted speed limit in metres in an 80 km/h or above speed limit zone, or,
• Twice the posted speed limit in metres in a speed zone below 80 km/h.

The placement of triangles is also regulated by national road laws, so make sure you always check the rules in your state and know what to do if you break down.

Vehicle safety on mine sites

Whenever you’re on a mine site, safety is critical. It’s likely that you won’t be granted access if your ute doesn’t meet the mine spec, so check what’s required at the individual site and ensure your vehicle meets mine compliance standards beforehand.

Vehicle safety supplies such as reflective vehicle tape, safety flags, reversing alarms (or ‘quackers’), and vehicle lights or rotating beacons are just some of the additions you’re likely to need to get your vehicle up to spec to work on a mine site.

Applying reflective UHF call signs and using a two way radio to communicate with others will assist with communication on site, whilst installing a rotating flashing light on the top of your cab will ensure you’re easily seen.

Disclaimer: This information is provided as an introductory guide only and does not constitute professional advice. Ensure you make your own independent enquiries before deciding if a particular product is right for you. Consult the regulations and standards applicable to your area and check with your workplace health and safety representative for further information. Jaybro does not warrant the accuracy, content, completeness or suitability of the information on this site (or any site owned by the Jaybro Group) for your individual purposes.