The Chain of Responsibility (CoR) means every time your business transports goods using a heavy vehicle (over 4.5 tonnes), regardless of industry, you become part of the chain and have a shared responsibility.

With changes to the National Heavy Vehicle Law (NHVL) coming in to force on 1 October 2018 including the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) legislation, the need for safety compliance and accountability has moved up to a whole new level.

This means your business will need to have safety systems and controls in place to identify, assess and manage risks as they relate to your business and activities within your supply chain. The four main areas of compliance are:

• Speed;
• Fatigue Management;
• Mass, dimension and load restraint; and
• Vehicle standards.

The NHVL is designed to stop business practices or demands that may cause a driver to undertake a journey in an unsafe manner.  As a business you have a legal obligation to be up to date with potential risks to your heavy vehicle transport tasks and take steps to minimise or eliminate safety risks.

Safety Australia Group have experienced consultants that can work with you to develop a safety management system to ensure all those within your chain are clear on your policies and procedures and what they need to do to stay compliant with all transport and safety legislation. Our consultants can review and recommend areas for improvement and assist with rolling out recommendations.  Some areas your business may need to review are:

• Ensuring good business management processes, monitoring and safety practices and training to ensure you workers do not risk breaching the fatigue management or speed regulations.
• Ensuring loads are weighed, measured and secure at all times.
• Carrying out regular vehicle checks and maintenance to ensure your vehicles are safe and road-worthy.
• Ensuring schedules are set with realistic, achievable time frames, taking into account both the distances involved and the likely conditions the driver will face when on that route.
• Ensuring loading and unloading activities are carried out efficiently and in a timely manner so that drivers are not unreasonably delayed.
• Ensuring goods are packed securely.
• Advising management of any delays.
• Regularly engaging with other (external) parties involved in your chain to ensure safe practices are being followed.
• Designing contracts and business agreements to ensure drivers and all other parties involved in the chain adhere to the law.
• Conducting regular risk assessments.
• Documenting all driver and vehicle activities, including journey times and vehicle speeds, scheduling and any issues or delays with loading or delivery times.