Do you understand how the new Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws will impact you as a business owner?
With changes being introduced in mid-2018, all parties in the CoR will be responsible for proactively managing the risks associated with their transport activities. And, with fines of up to $3 million dollars for businesses, it will become extremely important that parties in the CoR identify and manage risks rather than reacting when there is a possible breach of law.
NatRoad is committed to helping transport operators manage health and safety in their business. To assist our members in this area, we have released a handbook and a set of practical tools to help guide businesses with the everyday application of CoR laws.
The 2017 NatRoad Conference was held in September on Hamilton Island with the theme ‘Transport in Transition: Future Focus’. At the event, NatRoad Industry Policy Advisor, Julia Collins, launched our new, user-friendly CoR toolkit as part of her presentation to delegates.
“Our members told us they’re concerned about the changes to Chain of Responsibility,” Julia said. “For the average business owner, the laws can be complex and overwhelming.
“We are conscious that most of our members are small business operators so we have aimed to keep the handbook simple and to support it with a number of additional checklists and tools.”
She shared that the toolkit prepared by NatRoad explains clearly how to develop a basic safety management system, and how to work with other parties in the CoR.
“The handbook gives businesses a head start in applying the changes to their business,” she added.
Transport professionals can access an electronic copy of the handbook on the NatRoad website, and printed copies can be ordered by contacting NatRoad. The book includes tear-out checklists and guides that can be kept in the truck, or provided to other parties in the chain.
Taking a modern, user-friendly approach to communication, NatRoad plans to support the handbook by hosting a series of webinars for members. Each webinar will focus on a key area, such as understanding contractual arrangements, proactive risk management and potential liabilities under the new laws, and they are an easy way to hear first-hand what the changes mean for your business, and what you need to do to be prepared. The webinars will be formatted in shorter components, with an interactive Q&A session where questions and discussion can take place.
More information on the handbook, toolkit and webinar series will be made available on the NatRoad website.