What happened:

On 21^st May 2014 at around 1050 hrs, a contractor crew was travelling in a Toyota Land Cruiser on the sand track for performing maintenance of the solar and transformer rectifier units. As they were maneuvering a sharp bend, the driver lost control of the vehicle resulting in a roll over. No injuries to the personnel reported but the vehicle sustained damage.

Why it happened:

The vehicle came down a steep slope before the 90^o curve and did not anticipate the sharp bend ahead. As soon as he reached the bend, he applied brakes and immediately steered the vehicle to his right, the rear of the vehicle skid to the left and the roll over took place.

Driving on sand without engaging 4WD. Further the vehicle was over speeding.

The driver had poor safety record and the contractor management failed to take corrective actions.

Lessons Learned:

ü   Follow the posted speed limit –Speed in sand tracks shall be limited to a maximum of 80 km/hr.

ü   Driving on sand track requires engagement of 4WD.

ü   Driver performance shall be monitored and effective coaching to correct unsafe behavior be implemented