Risk of wiring loom catching fire
3 December 2018
Subject: Risk of wiring loom catching fire when located too close to an unshielded exhaust pipe
Issue: On 24 August 2018 a fire started in the engine compartment of a bus and caused extensive damage to the rear righthand side of the bus.
A forensic engineer’s examination of the bus found that the plastic conduit encasing the wiring loom for the righthand upper tail light was located too close to a section of an unshielded exhaust pipe and the plastic conduit caught fire.
To reduce the risk of the wiring loom catching fire, bus operators should have their buses inspected and ensure where a wiring loom within the engine compartment is located near any unshielded section of an exhaust pipe, a gap of at least 150 mm is maintained.
This advice is provided in accordance with section 197 of the Transport Integration Act 2010 (Vic).
For more information about this matter, please contact Andrew Chlebica, Manager Compliance and Information on telephone (03) 9655 6873.
THIS ADVICE IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Approved:
Lisa Faldon
Acting Director, Bus Safety
3 December 2018
View this Safety Alert as a Word document: Risk of wiring loom catching fire DOCX, 806.0 KB
CLARIFICATION
This Safety Alert is advice to bus operators to:
- Consider inspecting their buses for this risk
- Note the inspection of this risk issue as part of the next routine inspection.
This Safety Alert is provided for operators to maintain their bus fleet to an optimum standard with minimum risk to staff and passengers.
The Safety Alert is advice only and not a direction for operators to have their buses inspected.
The vehicle that experienced the issue was a rear engine route service bus with an internal vertical exhaust pipe. We have not included information about the make or model of bus, as this risk is not unique to any specific make or model.
