The West Australian Government has passed the Chain of Responsibility bill through parliament and as of the 21st May 2012, CoR is now law in WA.
The Compliance and Enforcement legislation is contained in the WA Road Traffic (Vehicles) Act 2012 and the WA Road Traffic (Administration) Act 2008. The implementation date and any associated grace periods is still to be announced.
The bill has some significant variations from others states.
The legislation is similar to that of other states, with one primary exception, the legislation specifies two categories of vehicles; Heavy vehicles and Light vehicles and the definition is:
Heavy vehicle = GVM of 4.5 tonne or over
Light vehicles = GVM of less than 4.5 tonne
What does Western Australian Chain of Responsibility Mean for you?
Effectively with the term “Light vehicle” now being included and specified, small vehicles such as “Utes” are now included. This extends the coverage dramatically to those who do not consider themselves in the transport industry. Now the local builder with his “Ute” is included in this legislation and a building company who either supplies or requires its building contractors to have a Ute for work purposes is covered.
Vehicles such as couriers and delivery vans, 1 tonne vans now fall under this legislation, and of course all those larger delivery vans that have purposely been designed at 4.49 tonne GVM to allow them to be driven with a car licence are now required to ensure they comply.
The new bill covers some 119 pages and there is plenty in there to be explained. Half day workshops are scheduled throughout June and July to explain the bill and how it impacts your business.
The Bill also talks about Auditing & Accreditation therefore to be compliant is still a requirement, so how do you become compliant? This is achieved through being accredited which is achieved through auditing. You may ask “why can’t I audit myself” the answer is you can! But in reality do you have the internal expertise and the time. The biggest factor to remember is that any internal audit system often loses objectivity as time progresses and complacency sets in and critical issues are overlooked. The downside of self auditing is the accreditation; self audits do not get a certificate of accreditation. The best option is to have a hybrid of both internal and external auditing.
Written by:
Mike Wood, Managing Director – LATUS Business Solutions
Mike is qualified in both Civil and Mechanical Engineering, with Post Graduate qualifications in Logistics and Business Administration. The initial phase of his career involved public roads and transportation authorities in technical and management roles.
Over the following eight years, Mike held general manager roles with major logistics service providers such as Mayne Nickless, Finemores and K&S Logistics. He was also Principal Consultant with Dawson Consulting.
Mike is now Managing Director of LATUS Business Solutions, which is a highly regarded Business Improvement practice, operating in 3 major area;
• Supply Chain & Logistics design;
• Compliance implementation & management;
• Leading training provider (RTO) in the area of Lean Logistics & Business
He has been a Director of transport and logistics industry associations in Queensland and Victoria.
Mike has a wide range of experience and expertise in most areas of logistics and supply chain management, with an emphasis on the strategic and hands-on design of logistics systems, including fully integrated warehousing and distribution. As both service provider and consultant, he has undertaken logistics projects from inception to implementation for many major organizations. Projects include such things as, Coal Chain designs, Port operation & infrastructure, Logging Operation design, Sugar production, livestock movements, logging etc.
Mike has been heavily involved in the management of Chain of Responsibility since 2003 and has set many companies on the path to CoR compliance, His expertise in this area would be deemed second to none.
Mike Wood
Mike Wood, Managing Director – LATUS: Logistic Risk Specialists Mike Wood is the recognised Australian Specialist on Chain of Responsibility Legislation and its Impacts upon the Logistic Industry. Since 2003, Mike has been heavily involved in Chain of Responsibility (known as Compliance and Enforcement in Western Australia). Mike is frequently interviewed or comment sort by Australian Media outlets, as well as providing expert witness testimony in legal proceedings. Most recently engaged by the Western Australian Government to help educate WA businesses on the new Compliance and Enforcement legislation and its impacts on them. Mike regularly advises Governments and Business across South East Asia and Australia on Logistic Issues, and was particularly involved in the Chain of Responsibility legislation, and codes of practice. Mike’s expertise extends to multiple facets of the Supply Chain, having undertaken projects such as, Integrated Logistic Chain Design, Australian Disaster Management Response Logistics, Coal Chain designs, Port operation & infrastructure, Logging Operation design, Sugar production, livestock movements, logging etc.
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