EVERYONE IN the transport chain should be accountable when it comes to efficient handling of dangerous goods. Adequate staff training is clearly the key as new legislation brings pressure on
transporters to get their act together, writes Leonard Neill.
All parties will be made accountable
THE SPATE of accidents in
various parts of South Africa during the past few months involving vehicles transporting hazardous cargo has encouraged road authorities to invoke often overlooked existing legislation and introduce new regulations to come down heavily on transporters in an effort to avoid further disasters.
In some recent instances heavy vehicles involved in road accidents which have resulted in roadway spills have seen numerous people living within the vicinity of the accident or passing motorists requiring medical attention after inhaling toxic fumes.
Now both the Department of Transport and road user associations are working towards a stringent new set of rules in which all parties involved in the cargo, from consignor, to agent, transporter and consignee will have to play their role and, in the event of an accident, be held responsible.
In the past, says Prestmarine managing director Riaan Grobbelaar, it was almost impossible to pinpoint the guilty party in these accidents. All four had loopholes where one of the others could be blamed, and when it came to the risk factor 'you were generally looking at a total loss.'
Now road user associations have worked together to formulate new regulations with wide-reaching requirements. Many of these were covered by the existing National Road Traffic Act of 1996, but strict observation wasn't always the rule of the day . The precautions and legislation coming into practice will place immense pressure on all four parties involved in the transportation, says Grobbelaar.
But the Department of Transport's James Chiumya accepts that before such regulations can be imposed authoritatively on transporters, one portion of the road act has to be strengthened before any of the other rules of the road can be applied.
Chapter 8 of the Act, which deals exclusively with hazardous cargo and the power of traffic officials, was suspended last year to enable proper policing of hazardous cargo to be empowered.
"It was suspended for a year and will be back in operation from August 1 this year," says Chiumya. "What we have done is utilised this suspension time to train officials in how to
operate under the Act with full authority. It is a different situation to all others and one which needs specialised attention."
When August comes around, all concerned will have to be on their toes to meet the new demands - and these eliminate age-old practices of merely loading hazardous goods like any other cargo.
