Frasers Livestock Transport lauded

A leading livestock transporter has received national recognition for its safe system of transferring stock between trailers

Queensland-based livestock transport firm, Frasers Livestock Transport, was recently handed the 2014 Safe Work Australia Award in the category of ‘Best solution to a workplace health and safety issue’.

The 70-year-old firm – which has its headquarters in Warwick, employs over 100 people and runs a fleet of 50 Kenworth prime movers – developed an innovative double-deck cross-loading ramp that allows cattle to be transferred between B-triples and road trains to two-deck trailers or B-doubles.

“It’s certainly much easier on the cattle and it’s much safer for our people,” said Frasers’ Director, Ross Fraser OAM, in a YouTube clip highlighting the system for the 2013 Queensland Safe Work Awards.

“It works by running cattle from a top deck of a trailer through to the top deck of another trailer, and also the bottom deck. We have equipped it with what we call ‘walk gates’ – as soon as the cattle run from one trailer to another we can close the gate, which stops the cattle from running back.

Fraser says the design of the ladders makes working from heights much safer while the system itself minimises the users’ contact with the cattle. It’s also fitted with lights to allow cross-loading at night.

“There’s certainly less fatigue involved for our drivers when cross-loading cattle,” says Mr Fraser.

Now the system has achieved national recognition, with the firm receiving the 2014 Safe Work Australia Award at Old Parliament House, Canberra, on Monday, April 28. Ross Fraser is pictured (left) with the award with Senator Eric Abetz.

Noelene Watson, Chair of the Australian Trucking Association, said the award was testament to Frasers Livestock Transport’s unwavering commitment to safety.

“By developing a special cross-loading module, Frasers has addressed a long-standing safety issue in the livestock transport industry,” she said.

“Right across the trucking industry, businesses are taking inspiration from companies like Frasers and improving their safety. Even one injury or accident is too many, but we are heading in the right direction.”

Ross Fraser is also a former ATA Chairman, while his company has participated in the ATA’s TruckSafe safety accreditation program since 1999.

Click on the clip below to hear Ross Fraser explain how his cross-loading system works.

Frasers Livestock Transport lauded

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