Office of Auxiliary CG-3PCX

ANALYSIS OF TOWING/TRAILERING
OPERATIONS MISHAPS
ALCOAST 067/03

R 111851Z FEB 03 ZUI ASN-A00042000208
ZYB
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//G-O/G-S/G-WK//
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS //N05101//
ALCOAST 067/03
COMDTNOTE 5101

SUBJ: ANALYSIS OF TOWING/TRAILERING OPERATIONS MISHAPS

A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 071243Z NOV 02/ALCOAST 519/02
B. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 081838Z NOV 02 (NOTAL)
C. NON-STANDARD BOAT OPERATORS HANDBOOK, COMDTINST M16114.28

1. REFS A AND B WERE SENT AS A RESULT OF TWO CATASTROPHIC TRAILER HITCH FAILURES DUE TO THE USE OF UNDER-RATED HITCH EQUIPMENT. ON 01 JAN 2003 (START OF SECOND QUARTER FY 2003), A CLASS B MISHAP OCCURRED IN WHICH THE TOW VEHICLE, BOAT TRAILER, AND THE RBHS ALL SUSTAINED DAMAGE. PROPERTY DAMAGE COSTS FOR THIS MISHAP WERE ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED AT 310,000 DOLLARS, HOWEVER, ACTUAL PROPERTY DAMAGE COSTS ARE STILL TO BE DETERMINED. FORTUNATELY AGAIN, NO ONE HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED IN RECENT TOWING/TRAILERING OPERATIONS MISHAPS.

2. AN ANALYSIS OF TOWING/TRAILERING OPERATIONS MISHAPS DEPICT A DRAMATIC AND ALARMING INCREASE IN TRAILERING MISHAPS FROM FY 1999 THROUGH FIRST QUARTER FY 2003. TRAILERING MISHAPS HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED SINCE FY 1999, THE EXCEPTION BEING THE FIRST QUARTER FY 2003 IN WHICH THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN 16 REPORTED MISHAPS TOTALING APPROX 36,436 DOLLARS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE (THESE FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE THE 01 JAN 2003 CLASS B MISHAP) - NEARLY HALF OF FY 2002S TOTAL OF 41 MISHAPS TOTALING APPROX 27,406 DOLLARS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE.

3. IF THIS TREND IS NOT CORRECTED OR IT CONTINUES AT THE CURRENT RATE, WE ARE LOOKING AT 68 MISHAPS FOR FY 2003. THE ANALYSIS OF TOWING/TRAILERING OPERATIONS MISHAPS WAS BROKEN DOWN INTO SIX CATEGORIES/TYPES WITH A PRELIMINARY LIST OF IMMEDIATE CAUSES (SEE PARAGRAPHS 4. THROUGH 9. BELOW) FOR EACH TYPE:

A. 34 PERCENT - CLOSE QUARTER MANEUVERING (CQM)
B. 11 PERCENT - HIGHWAY DRIVING
C. 16 PERCENT - PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE (PMS)
D. 12 PERCENT - PRE/POST OPERATIONAL CHECKS
E. 12 PERCENT - INJURIES
F. 15 PERCENT - LAUNCH/RECOVERY

THE ANALYSIS NOT ONLY DEPICTS AN INCREASING TREND IN MISHAP FREQUENCY BUT ALSO SEVERITY RANGING FROM MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE TO A TOTAL LOSS OF TOW VEHICLE/BOAT/TRAILER ASSETS. OUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE NOT TO SUSTAIN ANY SERIOUS INJURIES OR FATALITIES AND FORTUNATE THAT THE MISHAPS WHICH HAVE OCCURRED ON ROADS AND HIGHWAYS HAVE NOT INVOLVED MULTIPLE VEHICLES. THE OFFICE OF BOAT FORCES (G-OCS) HAS ALREADY DISTRIBUTED THIS ANALYSIS DATA BY EMAIL TO ALL DISTRICT OSRS FOR FURTHER DISSEMINATION TO ALL UNITS INVOLVED IN BOAT TOWING/TRAILERING OPERATIONS, HOWEVER, THE ISSUE OF TOWING SAFELY APPLIES TO ALL TOWING/TRAILERING EVOLUTIONS, NOT ONLY BOATS.

4. CLOSE QUARTER MANEUVERING (CQM) IMMEDIATE CAUSES: A. MISPLACED OR NO SPOTTERS USED DURING CLOSE QUARTER MANEUVERING (DRIVING FORWARD OR IN REVERSE) B. MISJUDGED DISTANCES FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND FRONT TO BACK C. MISCALCULATING TURNING RADIUS D. FAILURE TO ENSURE OR MAINTAIN A CLEAR PATH OF TRAVEL IN ANY DIRECTION AS WELL AS CLEARANCE OVERHEAD (BRIDGES, TUNNELS)

5. HIGHWAY DRIVING IMMEDIATE CAUSES:

A. FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE AND NOT AFFORDING A SAFE BRAKING DISTANCE
B. OPERATING TOO FAST FOR ROAD, WEATHER, TRAFFIC CONDITIONS
C. FAILURE TO YIELD
D. FAILURE TO PLAN TRAVEL ROUTE AND ACCOUNT FOR OVERHEAD OBSTRUCTIONS
E. FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE SPACING AND CLEARANCE DURING LANE CHANGES
F. FAILURE TO YIELD TO TRAFFIC SIGNALS

6. PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE (PMS) IMMEDIATE CAUSES:

A. FAILURE TO INSPECT/SERVICE TRAILER WHEEL BEARING, HUB, SPINDLE, AND BRAKE ASSEMBLIES
B. FAILURE TO INSPECT TOW/TRAILER NUTS, BOLTS, AND ATTACHMENT POINTS
C. FAILURE TO INSPECT HITCH AND TOW BALL
D. FAILURE TO INSPECT TRAILER AND ITS COMPONENTS MONTHLY AND QUARTERLY
E. FAILURE TO FOLLOW REF B

7. PRE/POST OPERATIONAL CHECKLISTS IMMEDIATE CAUSES:

A. UNDERSIZED TOW BALL FOR TRAILER HITCH
B. FAILURE TO PROPERLY SEAT THE HITCH ONTO THE TOW BALL
C. FAILURE TO USE SAFETY CHAINS OR IMPROPERLY INSTALLED CHAINS
D. FAILURE TO CHECK FOR INSTALLATION OF BOAT PLUGS E. FAILURE TO CHECK TRAILER TIRES
F. FAILURE TO FOLLOW REF B

8. INJURIES IMMEDIATE CAUSES:

A. FAILURE TO USE PROPER EQUIPMENT TO ACCESS AND EGRESS TRAILERED SMALL BOATS
B. FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DRY WALKING/WORKING SURFACES

9. LAUNCH/RECOVERY IMMEDIATE CAUSES:

A. FAILURE TO INSPECT THE LAUNCH RAMP FOR STEEP DROP-OFF, SLIPPERY AREAS, AND SHARP OBJECTS
B. FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE REAR WHEELS OF THE TOW VEHICLE OUT OF THE WATER
C. FAILURE TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND CHOCK THE WHEELS
D. FAILURE TO FOLLOW REF B

10. A COMDT LEVEL SAFETY BOARD (CSB) IS CONVENING TO

(1) REVIEW TOWING/TRAILERING OPERATIONS MISHAPS AND CURRENT INSTRUCTIONS, GUIDANCE, AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS,
(2) ANALYZE CIRCUMSTANCES AND CAUSAL FACTORS OF THESE MISHAPS, AND
(3) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT SAFETY MEASURES, PROCEDURES AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO CORRECT THIS TREND AND PREVENT FUTURE MISHAPS

11. AS STATED IN REF A AND REPEATED IN THIS MESSAGE, THERE IS A TOW VEHICLE MATCHING GUIDE INCLUDED AS APPENDIX E OF REF C THAT CAN BE USED TO ASSIST UNITS IN ASSESSING THEIR REQUIREMENTS. THE GUIDE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT TOWING PROCEDURES AND LAWS CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING ON THE BOAT FORCES HOME PAGE "PRODUCTS AND SERVICES" BUTTON, THEN CLICKING ON "MANUALS" AT HTTP://CGWEB.COMDT.USCG.MIL/G-OCS/G-OCS.HTM OR GO DIRECTLY TO HTTP://CGWEB.COMDT.USCG.MIL/G-OCS/NSB/NSBHANDBOOK.HTM STRICT ADHERENCE TO OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE AND SAFETY PROCEDURES IS A MUST TO AVOID FUTURE MISHAPS OF THIS NATURE AND TO PREVENT AND PROTECT OUR PERSONNEL FROM SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH AND OUR EQUIPMENT FROM COSTLY PROPERTY DAMAGE REPAIRS OR TOTAL LOSS.

12. THIS IS A COORDINATED MESSAGE BETWEEN THE OFFICE OF OPERATIONS (G-O), THE OFFICE OF SYSTEMS (G-S), AND THE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND SAFETY (G-WK). G-O POC IS LT RICH CONDIT AT (202) 267-6707 OR RCONDIT(AT)COMDT.USCG.MIL. G-SLP POC IS MR. HENRY HERZBERG AT (202) 267-6462 OR HHERZBERG(AT)COMDT.USCG.MIL. G-WK POC IS LCDR KATHRYN L. OAKLEY AT (202) 267-2965 OR KOAKLEY(AT)COMDT.USCG.MIL.

13. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

14. RADM JAMES C. OLSON, ACTING ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR OPERATIONS, RADM J.A. KINGHORN, ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR SYSTEMS, AND RADM JOYCE M. JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND SAFETY, SEND.
BT
NNNN

Download Plug-Ins
Download Plug-Ins: Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them. Links to the plug-ins are available below.
Click Here to Download Adobe Acrobat Reader Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF)
Last Modified 1/18/2012