BHP - Driving safety forward

Vehicle vs. environment

This type of incident happens when a vehicle interacts dangerously with its surroundings, such as going over an edge, rolling over, or hitting natural features, infrastructure, or wildlife. These incidents often involve: • rolling over • driving off a slope or drop • crashing into trees, rocks, buildings, or other structures.

When fatal, it’s usually the driver or passenger of the vehicle who is killed.

Select for examples from recent incidents.

Common patterns Vehicle vs environment incidents often follow recognisable patterns. These include:

Controls that work To help prevent vehicle vs environment incidents, these controls have been proven effective.

Rollover events often triggered by sudden shifts (like sharp turns, equipment movement, or uneven terrain).

Falls into unseen hazards like soft ground collapse, voids beneath the vehicle, or hidden bodies of water.

Edge protection systems like physical barriers, berms, or bunds.

Cameras and mirrors that improve driver visibility when reversing or turning.

Speed limiters and alarms to manage vehicle control in risky terrain.

Driving over edges such as reversing too far, working near crushers or bins, or failing edge barriers.

Loss of control due to low visibility, unstable terrain, or slippery conditions.

Edge detection alerts including proximity sensors or alarms.

In-vehicle monitoring such as GPS positioning and rollover warning systems.

Operator distraction alerts

to keep attention on surroundings.

Collisions with fixed structures including barriers, walls, or roadside objects.

Safe zone awareness supported by systems like geofencing.

These controls help prevent rollovers, stop vehicles from going over edges, and reduce the severity of crashes with fixed surroundings.

These scenarios typically result in the vehicle hitting something in its surroundings, with severe consequences.

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