Pattern of safety risk assessment in road fleet transportation of hazardous materials (oil materials)

Purpose: One of the most important problems in the road fleet transportation of hazardous materials is truck accidents in which the main influential factors are the type of truck and its safety conditions. This research aimed to propose the pattern of assessing safety risk of road fleet transportation of hazardous materials and classifying trucks with a safety approach. Design/methodology/approach: In this research, first the safety risk contributing factors (SRCFs) and sub-safety risk contributing factors (Sub-SRCFs) of road oil trucks were identified using job hazard analysis (JHA) method and finalized by expert consensus. Thereafter, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) was employed in order to weigh the determined SRCFs and Sub-SRCFs. Finally, the safety risk assessment pattern in road oil truck was presented considering failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) approach. Findings: The results showed that the most important SRCFs in the road fleet of hazardous materials transportation in the carrier and tank groups were "technical characteristics of the carrier" and "technical characteristics of the tank". In addition, the most important Sub-SRCFs included unsuitable inspection of the truck (tank and carrier), poor brake system, and lack of the strength of front and rear shields of the carrier. Originality/value: The results showed that the main causes of increased accident risk are the lack of use of front and rear shields, brake system and inappropriate inspections. The lack of systematic inspection can be the most important case to increase the risk of road transport of hazardous materials.