12 minute read
Cover Feature: First Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA in WA
Since its establishment in 2014, Perthbased LGC Traffic Management has not only grown to become one of Western Australia’s largest and most well-respected traffic management and equipment hire companies, it has also become one of the most recognisable - thanks largely to the unique and highly visible hot pink livery adorning much of its vehicle and equipment fleet.
From its relatively humble beginnings, LGC Traffic Management’s focus on safety, quality and innovation, has earned the company an enviable reputation for excellence. With a staff of over 240, the company now provides a full range of traffic management, equipment and signage hire and road safety management services to road authorities, local governments, contractors, utility providers and event managers across WA - from Perth to Albany, Northam to Kalgoorlie and beyond.
Not ones to rest on their laurels, LGC Traffic Management is continuing to lead the way in the west, with the addition of the State’s first MASH TL-2 certified Truck Mounted Attenuator.
Supplied by Scorpion’s exclusive Australian distributor, A1 Roadlines, the latest addition to LGC’s fleet - a Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA - is the only TL-2 Truck Mounted Attenuator currently available in Australia to have been successfully Tested, Passed & Certified to MASH Standards.
Specifically designed to provide work crews with life-saving MASH TL-2 protection on worksites along suburban streets and local roads with a maximum speed limit of 70 km/h, it delivers the ideal combination of a compact size and outstanding MASH TL-2 certified protection.
Speaking about the new unit, LGC Traffic Management Director, Max Line, said that the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA represents a major step forward for worksite safety.
“We’re extremely pleased to have our first MASH TL-2 certified unit out on the road,” Max said.
“We’re also proud to be the first provider in Western Australia to be able to offer the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA as part of our fleet. We believe that these new MASH TL-2 units will prove to be a real ‘game-changer’ in terms of providing worksite protection for crews working on suburban streets and local roads,” he said.
“We have a couple of Scorpion® II TL-3 TMAs in our fleet, and we’re extremely happy with their quality, features, reliability, and performance in the field,” he added. “That said, as good as they are, it is not always practical, or for that matter, possible to have a TL-3 rated TMA at every worksite – especially along suburban streets and local roads.”
“With that in mind, the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA provides us and our clients with the ideal combination of life-saving worksite protection and compact manoeuvrability that’s needed in those situations, while at the same time delivering the high quality build, innovative design and features, and perhaps most importantly, reliability, that we’ve come to expect from the Scorpion® TMA products,” Max said.
NEW MAIN ROADS WESTERN AUSTRALIA CODE OF PRACTICE FOR TMA’S
Understandably, as the first MASH TL-2 TMA in Western Australia, there were a number of additional processes that needed to be undertaken before the new unit could be used on the road network, including updates to the Code of Practice governing the use and deployment of Truck Mounted Attenuators across WA.
“Main Roads WA were keen to introduce the new TL-2 units, and there was a lot of support for the concept. But as a new thing, there was also, understandably, a lot of scrutiny,” Max Line said. “After all, the performance of safety equipment such as TMA’s out in the field can quite literally be a matter of life and death, so getting the specification right and ensuring that the equipment is ‘fit for purpose’ is of paramount importance.”
While the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA is fully MASH tested and certified and has been recommended for acceptance throughout Australia by ASBAP (Austroads Safety Barrier Assessment Panel), as with all vehicles, equipment and safety systems, each of the individual jurisdictions have the final say as to what can be used on their road network. To that end, Main Roads WA has produced an updated Code of Practice (previously referred to as a guideline) for the deployment of TMAs in Western Australia.
Published in December 2021 ‘Requirements for the use of Truck Mounted Attenuators in WA – Code of Practice’ sets out the technical specifications and operational requirements for both MASH TL-2 and MASH TL-3 rated TMAs, when used to protect worksites on or beside active roads against errant vehicle intrusion. Interestingly, while the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA has been approved by ASBAP for use across Australia, the Main Roads WA Code of Practice is the first ‘formal specification’ detailing specific requirements for TL-2 TMAs. As such, it has been suggested that it may also be used to form the basis for TL-2 specifications in some other jurisdictions.
“As you might imagine, being the first unit of its kind in Western Australia, there was quite a process involved before we could start using the TL-2 unit out in the field,” Max Line said; “and while waiting for the final specifications to be approved and published can be little nerve-wracking, we were always confident that both the unit and host vehicle would meet all of the requirements.”
LGC Traffic Management’s Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA is mounted on a Hino 300 Series 616 medium wheelbase (3430mm) cab-chassis and has been adorned in the company’s famous hot pink livery.
“We believe that the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA will play an important role in filling a void in the worksite safety market,” Max Line said.
“Every day and night, there are literally thousands of workers out and about maintaining our suburban streets and local road network. Unfortunately, despite signage, lights and other traffic management measures, these workers still face the risk of being struck by an errant vehicle entering the work zone, and tragically, there are still incidents resulting serious injury and even fatalities,” he said.
“For us, it’s all about maximising safety and minimising the risk of incidents and injuries to workers and vehicle occupants alike,” Max Line added. “Our goal, truly is one of ZERO HARM, and we believe that the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMAs have an important role to play in helping us to achieve that goal.”
SUITABLE FOR USE ON A WIDE RANGE OF HOST VEHICLES
Importantly, due to its compact size and low total weight (690kg), the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA is suitable for use on a wide range of host vehicles. Indeed, the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA is recommended for acceptance throughout Australia by ASBAP on any suitable compliant host vehicle with a minimum vehicle mass of 3,000 kg including ballast (3,300 kg with no additional ballast in WA).
What’s more, thanks to the fact that the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA has been successfully tested and approved to MASH TL-2 Plus (80 kph impact) using ‘Infinity Testing’, there is NO MAXIMUM HOST VEHICLE WEIGHT LIMIT. As long as the support vehicle meets the minimum weight requirement and is compliant with local vehicle regulations, and the TMA mount is structurally certified, Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA can be used - regardless of the brand of host vehicle.
A1 Roadlines is able to supply the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA on a wide range of cab-chassis models from leading manufacturers including ISUZU, UD, FUSO and HINO to name a few, with trucks available in a range of body and wheelbase configurations to suit any application.
MINIMAL ROLLAHEAD DISTANCE
While ‘Infinity Testing’ is clearly the most demanding testing regimen for TMA’s – and a critical factor in certifying the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA with no upper weight limit for host vehicles, it’s important to note that the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA also performed extremely well in standard ‘Roll-Ahead’ type MASH testing.
As well as undergoing three ‘Infinity’ MASH tests, during a fourth MASH crash test (MASH 2016 Test 2-53), the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA was fitted to a stationary unrestrained host vehicle in second gear and with the park brake engaged. The TMA was then impacted at an angle of 9.9 degrees by 2014 Dodge RAM 1500 with a curb mass of 2295kg travelling at 81.6km/h.
Impressively, even during this extreme impact, the host vehicle measured a rollahead distance of only 12.4 metres.
MODULAR DESIGN REDUCES REPAIR COSTS
As with the larger TL-3 model, Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA incorporates Scorpion’s unique modular design. This not only plays a critical role in absorbing energy during an impact, it also plays a major role in helping to reduce the cost of repairs - particularly after moderate impacts and/or in the event of accidental damage - with only the damaged components requiring replacement.
With most non-modular units, even minor damage caused by a driver inadvertently reversing into an object or colliding with a stationary object while positioning the vehicle, can have extremely costly consequences. In fact, with some units, even minor impacts can result in having to replace the majority of the TMA unit.
Needless to say, with very low speed and minor impacts accounting for around 80% of the total impacts into TMA’s, the cost and inconvenience of having to replace an entire unit or the majority of a unit any time minor damage occurs can be considerable.
Thanks to its unique modular design, the Scorpion® II METRO TL-2 TMA is extremely quick and easy to repair. And with the greater majority of repairs coming in at only a fraction of the cost of a replacement unit, they deliver outstanding ‘whole of life’ value.
For further information, contact:
A1 ROADLINES PTY LTD
P: 1300 217 623 (1300 A1ROAD) E: sales@a1roadlines.com.au
www.a1roadlines.com.au
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