TRAC is an international company that provides a variety of engineering products and services, including support for offshore drilling, and equipment for railway maintenance. The School of Psychology initially formed a collaborative relationship with TRAC in 2017 and has regularly sent student interns to the company since then. The focus of the current collaborative project was an undergraduate thesis developed by Dalmar Namazi and the TRAC de-vegetation and railway maintenance teams. The aim of the thesis was to explore the use of non-technical skills and risk management by chainsaw operators. The results highlighted a variety of acknowledged risks including worker complacency, operating on steep slopes and incomplete project briefs. The study also highlighted the importance of non-technical skills such as teamwork, communication and decision-making in maintaining worker safety. TRAC plans to use these results to make changes to chainsaw procedures and inductions, with a focus on improved planning, stronger team development and additional advice to enhance safe decision-making. You can view the overview of the research via the TRAC report here: https://indd.adobe.com/view/a7ecf8a7-7020-4d02-bfbc-92f9fc602199
TRAC collaboration set to improve chainsaw safety