OGP Publishes Revised Roll Over Guidance Back to results

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, OGP, the world’s largest group of oil related businesses, has decided to remove specification for roll over protection in keeping with its practice of providing the sharing of ‘best practice’ versus the setting of standards.

The revised Land Transportation Safety Recommended Practice, Report No. 365, advises its members that roll over protection (ROPS/RPD) is recommended where there is a risk of roll over but leaves member companies to decide on its own standards relating to strength, extent and design.

The new guidance reads - “Where a risk assessment demonstrates that the risk of rollover due to terrain, vehicle type or work conditions is higher than normal, a properly engineered rollover protection device must be installed (internally or externally)”.

Safety Devices Managing Director, Gavin Davidson comments “This puts the obligation on employers to decide on a suitable safety strategy and no longer will they be able to point to OGP’s guidance.  With the recent introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter Act in the UK, defining and implementing your own safety strategy becomes far more important.  Of course many organisations have design standards for ROPS already but with changing safety standards, new legislation and development in the designs of ROPS most will need to look again”.

The previous version of the Recommended Practice published in April 2005 specified that ROPS/RPD’s should be capable of withstanding combined loads of 3x vehicle operating weight vertically, 3x fore/aft and 1.5x laterally as a single point load on either side of the main hoop. 

Derek Tate, co-Chairman of OGP’s road safety task force, stated “The onus is upon the user to perform the research and make the calculations to design and install a device as required that is fit for the application and to meet the intent of ensuring 'room to live' inside the occupant compartment in the event of a rollover or similar type of crash, without creating more problems.”

Note: Safety Devices International Ltd is a world leading expert in the design, manufacture and testing of roll over protection structures.  The Company regularly provide guidance and support to customers looking to define suitable standards for their safety strategies. Call Aeron Lloyd on +44(0)1638 560524, or for more information see our Technical page.