Risk analysis for Wheelchair Transportation:
A comprehensive risk assessment is essential, taking into account the user’s
requirements and the type of transport they plan to use.
Potential risk areas:
The user being transferred to a fixed vehicle seat.
The wheelchair/seating unit being transported as unoccupied luggage.
The user occupying a wheelchair/seating unit during transportation.
Ability of the WTORS to hold the wheelchair and/or seating unit together with
the user during vehicle movement or in the event of an impact.
Effects of normal vehicle manoeuvres, such as braking, accelerating and
cornering on the wheelchair user.
Effects of the occupant restraint on the user, both in normal vehicle
movement and on impact.
Effects of the seating unit, wheelchair and / or any accessories being used,
on the action of a vehicle anchored occupant restraint in an impact.
Suitability of any interface that connects the seating unit to the wheelchair.
Postural support or belt/harness that is not sufficiently strong to withstand
the force of an impact.
Requirements for the use of a headrest to restrict the rearward movement of
the head during vehicle motion or impact.
The effect on other passengers if the user, wheelchair / seating unit or
accessories were to become detached during impact.
Wheelchair Security:
Although it may initially appear that the wheelchair and occupant are just one
unit to be restrained, the reality is that they are independent of each other yet
the forces created in their restraint will interact with each other.
As a result, it is extremely important that restraint of the wheelchair, does not
occur through the occupant and their restraint system, in a crash situation.
This now means that the wheelchair, often weighing-in at around 100 Kg, (for an
electric powered model) and designed to be very mobile, must now become as
close as possible, to being a fixed seat, secured using a restraint system which
is independent from the occupant restraint system.
The wheelchair must also be secured in such a way that it cannot tip over,
collapse, or break-up, causing injury to the occupant or other passengers in the
transporting vehicle.
The restraint systems should be to the wheelchair manufacturers
recommendations, as it will be of the type that the wheelchair was successfully
crash tested with and therefore proven to be suitable for that application.
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