Power of legislation may be brought to bear on training organisations and their oversight
There are significant pockets of ignorance on chain of responsibility (COR) and some may even reach to those in charge of ensuring skills and standards, the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has heard.
Bulk haulage operator Tony Noske of Noske Logistics tells the COR panel that there have been “fantastic improvements” in some areas of the market but not others.
“There is a lot of ignorance out there,” he says, adding that what will change attitudes might well be the bad accident or a compliance blitz.
On how change might best be tackled in companies, Noske says there must be full engagement in COR that is driven from the top at both ends of the contract.
This point was supported by Qube health, safety and environment general manager Belinda Flynn and was an action point from the ALC’s initial safety forum last year.
Alarmingly, there appears to be a lack of appreciation of the power of COR legislation that extends into oversight of training. Chain of Responsibility Australia chief Steve Asnicar relates problems his company has encountered with training firms that have fallen short of their necessary rigour and which have been reported to the relevant regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
Asnicar says as many as five training organisations involved should be ordered to rescind qualifications and clients retested by compliance trainers.
Though it is understood ASQA has a different view of its responsibility, he believes transport and logistics firms are in receipt of faulty certificates and that in the event of an accident, COR reaches as far as ASQA, given that it is aware of the problem.
Asnicar notes state and federal government entities are not beyond COR and that this issue may well involve the attention of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator which has in the past tackled shortcomings at NSW Roads and Maritime Services.