'Dangerous goods rules for road need an overhaul'

CLIVE EMDON
THERE IS AN urgent need for regulations governing the transport of dangerous goods by road to conform to rules used in air and sea transportation says Fanie Short, owner and MD of Air Sea Packaging SA. “At the moment almost anything goes,” says Short. “There is a need for standardisation of the packing material used for the transportation of dangerous goods in line with air and sea legislation. This could be done by using the necessary UN-approved containers, documentation, marking and labelling for road freight shipments.” He believes these regulations should all be documented in manual form, similar to the dangerous goods regulations used by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and those used for sea freight. The road freight authorities should then also apply these rules to ensure the safety of all road users. Air Sea Packaging started the professional packaging of dangerous goods by air into Africa 13 years ago and is currently one of only four companies in Gauteng specialising in the field. “We have built up a high level of expertise in handling, packaging, and documenting dangerous goods to the specifications laid out by the relevant authorities.” The company also packages a range of other goods, from dinner services and paintings to mechanical and engineering equipment for air, sea and road freight. Efficient packaging that takes account of different types of crates to suit the mode of transport is the company’s strong suit, and this involves conforming to aircraft types and sizes and handling and dealing with security issues at final destination. The company builds crates to maximise the volumetric use of sea freight containers.