Customer management and their boards reminded they may be made accountable
The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has sought to highlight safety and compliance issues economy-wide with a new online and hardcopy newsletter providing up-to-date and practical information to those linked in the chain of responsibility (COR).
The publication, Strengthening the Supply Chain aims to raise awareness about organisations’ obligations and how changes in the law may affect their operations.
“Quite simply, companies cannot ‘contract out’ their COR obligations, no matter what their industry sector or part of the supply chain, so it is important they fully understand their regulatory obligations,” ALC MD Michael Kilgariff says.
“As an industry, there needs to be greater effort to ensure all supply chain participants meet their obligations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law, such as those relating to speeding, fatigue, dimension, mass limits and load securing.
“Achieving greater levels of legislative compliance across these five critical areas, based on increased education and awareness-raising, are the keys to improving heavy vehicle safety.
“So, in addition to a wide circulation among the logistics industry, ALC is providing the newsletter to the Chairs, CEOs and supply chain managers of Australia’s top 2000 ASX companies and top 500 private companies.
“The newsletter stresses that chain of responsibility is an issue which effects not just logistics organisations, but businesses up and down the supply chain.”
He points out that a potential breach under COR laws includes the responsibility of a retailer and its directors for speeding if its contractual arrangements mean that vehicles need to speed to comply with delivery schedules.
“It makes the fundamental point that if an organisation consigns, packs, loads or receives goods as part of their business, it could be held legally liable for breaches of road transport laws,” Kilgariff says.
“At stake are civil and criminal liabilities, as well as reputation damage.”
The newsletter also provides an update on a number of important regulatory issues, including a review of chain of responsibility duties in the Heavy Vehicle National Law.