His comments reinforce member concerns about the Sprinter vans.
Mr Dohrmann’s advice can be downloaded here:
Some key observations noted in the Dohrmann Report include:
- “My principal concern with this vehicle is its fairly obvious lack of necessary vision required by the driver during common manoeuvres.
- “Specifically the driver will not be able to see properly to his left when the vehicle is half-turned to the right (a common situation), and without a passenger to keep a lookout, the driver watching forwards and to their right, will not be able to see what hazards are approaching (or are present) on the left hand side.
- “Vision to the left (behind the driver’s seat) is also badly compromised when attempting to merge left.
- “There may be cases where this van might be capable for being used with less risk, but Australia Post driving work is not such a case.
- “This vehicle must have windows of an adequate size fitted in both its side walls, immediately behind the line of the driver’s seat.
- “My recommendation is that for the safety of members (drivers) and of the public, the van should not be used until or unless it is supplied or fitted with windows of an appropriate and sufficient size in both side panels behind the driver’s seat.”
Members are urged to take into consideration this advice when weighing up whether to drive these vans or not.
We also draw to your attention the fact that recalls have been placed on the Mercedes Sprinter 5.0t to help replace the van’s Brake Master Cylinder.
We also urge you bear in mind Friday’s AIRC Interim Order, specifically the section titled “3. Definition”.
This section reproduces the definition of industrial action contained in the Workplace Relations Act.
The definition in the Interim Order contains the Act’s exclusion of actions that are not considered industrial action – in particular:
“(f) action by an employee if such action was based upon the employee’s reasonable concern about an imminent risk to the employee’s health or safety, and the employee did not unreasonably fail to comply with the directions of the employee’s employer to perform other available work, whether at the same or another workplace, that was safe and appropriate for the employee to perform.”
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