Minister for Employment and Productivity, Parveen Bala says issues surrounding hybrid vehicles can be OHS risks to Fiji’s workplaces and the general public since it only entered Fiji’s automobile market and roads in 2015.
He made this comment while speaking at the Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Hybrid vehicles, Lithium-ion Batteries, and Scrap metals at the Pearl Resort.
Bala says this workshop is important given the environmental and OHS risks now found to be associated in these vehicles.
Bala says the influx in the number of hybrid vehicles in the past four years is enormous.
He says the basic OHS hazards associated with High Energy Electricity on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles include electric shock, burns, arch flash, arch blast, fire, explosion, chemicals and gases and fumes.
Bala told the participants that these hazards contribute to the basic risks associated with Hybrid and Electric Vehicle like electrical risk, arch flash from damage wiring that leads to arch blast that can cause electric shock and burns.
He adds that there are also fire risks where potential ignition source include electrical short circuits and arch flash, potential fuel source includes flammable gases vented from batteries, petrol leaks and rags and these leads to fire and explosion.
Bala says chemical risk occurs during charging and leakage could cause explosion, burns or blindness as well as corrosion to vehicle.
The Minister says there are high electromagnetic fields developed from high voltage and current in hybrid and electric vehicles which seems to be greatest when speeding or slowing down and is possible to interfere with small electronic devices such as pacemakers.
Bala says in view of the OHS risks, the key outcomes expected from this knowledge sharing workshop will revolve around hybrid vehicle maintenance to be included in the curriculum of tertiary courses, competency-based training to up skill the competencies of the mechanics and technicians that work with hybrid vehicles, inspections and certifications of the equipment used by the garages including personal protective equipment to safely conduct maintenance on hybrid vehicles by the relevant agencies.
He says this also includes the safe disposal or recycling of the hybrid vehicle used batteries or body parts after the manufacturers recommended useful life has lapsed.
Officers from the Border Control Department of the Fiji Customs and Revenue Service, Land Transport Authority, new vehicle distributors, second hand vehicle suppliers, batteries manufacturers, and scrap metal dealers are part of this two day workshop.
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