The Australian Chain of Responsibility laws hold all parties involved in the transport supply chain accountable and being familiar with the new changes is a necessity of employees and businesses.  In part 1, we talked about driver fatigue, a central point of concern.  This time, we are talking about load management and its place in the supply chain.

The legislation urges all the parties in the supply chain, whether they are consignors, packers, loaders/ unloaders, drivers, schedulers, operators or receivers to become thoroughly  knowledgeable about the new legislation. This will help them prevent any instance in which they may have violated the law unintentionally.

Load management refers to various aspects of packing and unpacking a freight container such as proper load restraint and weight distribution of the load.  Restraints placed around packing materials such as steel or timber are required to prevent accidental slippage causing an uneven distribution of weight.  This can result in the transport vehicle being more difficult to stop or, even worse, cause it to overturn and possibly spill its contents onto the roadway.

Making sure all materials are loaded and packaged according to established guidelines is necessary to prevent accidents which can result in damage or injury to workers and other travelers.

The Chain of Responsibility Act ensures all parties involved in the supply chain remain accountable for their actions of negligence that directly and indirectly affect other parts on the chain.  Being familiar with your own duties that are affected by the new legislation will go a long way in protecting yourself and your company from unintentionally violating an aspect of the law.

To be sure your company and staff/contractors have up to knowledge of the Chain of Responsibility requirements, you can now complete a convenient Chain of Responsibility Online course here.