To improve safety outcomes in the transportation of logs from forest to mill or port, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has published a new draft Code of Practice.
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The new Log Haulage Industry Code of Practice (LHC) provides guidance for businesses involved at every level of the forest log haulage task.
The draft LHC was developed in collaboration with the Australian Forest Products Association and the Australian Forest Contractor’s Association, along with industry representatives and stakeholders.
Acting chief safety and productivity officer Paul Sariban says the LHC is a guide of interest to anybody who conducts business in the forestry sector.
“It supports parties in the Chain of Responsibility to understand and meet their primary duty and other obligations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL),” he says.
“Consulting with industry associations and stakeholders in the creation of the new LHC was key in allowing us to properly understand how the industry’s operations are conducted, identify any hazards and document or develop effective control measures to eliminate the risks they may cause.”
The new Code will be available for public feedback for the next 8 weeks.
All feedback received from any stakeholder within the logging sector will be considered by the NHVR as part of the assessment process to determine whether the Code is suitable for registration.
Sariban says the new LHC was relevant to anyone who:
- owns a forestry area where logs are harvested
- harvests or stockpiles logs for transport
- loads, operates or contracts heavy vehicles to transport logs
- or manages a facility such as a mill where logs are delivered
Drivers of log haulage vehicles must comply with obligations under the HVNL, including loading requirements, mass and dimension requirements, and fatigue management, and they will be confronted with particular challenges, so high quality training is required.
Sariban says businesses cannot “pass the buck” to drivers when things go wrong but must have in place robust systems that ensure safety.
“The HVNL makes it clear that the Primary Duty is shared by all the parties who have a role in the transport task, acknowledging the opportunities that different parties have to eliminate or reduce risks to public safety from the use of heavy vehicles,” he says.
“For example, forestry managers can reduce driving hazards through road design, signage and traffic control, while loaders can improve vehicle stability by careful selection and placement of logs.”
Heavy vehicles and equipment used for hauling were often exposed to rough and uneven ground, and to damage caused by the heavy equipment used for loading and unloading.
Sariban says the new LHC provides guidance and control measures so that all parties in the supply chain can identify, address and then minimise damage to vehicles that may pose a risk to public safety.
The LHC outlines the range of transport activities that are involved when logs are transported from the forest and identifies hazards and effective measures to control them that can be implemented within each of those activities.
Some of those measures relate to equipment or training or procedures, but in preparing the LHC, it became apparent that many of the hazards can only be managed when businesses share information and cooperate.
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