Load Restraint Guide
In Australia, it’s mandatory for all logistics staff, including contractors, to be trained in accordance with the NHVR and the 2018 Load Restraint Guide guidelines, regardless of the size of the vehicle.
This essential training ensures the safe loading of both heavy and small vehicles, preventing injuries and property damage, while also delivering economic benefits by ensuring that loads arrive at their destinations intact. The guide equips drivers, operators, and other participants in the transport chain with fundamental safety principles for the secure carriage of loads on road vehicles.
Compliance with these guidelines is a crucial element of an organization’s operational risk safety management systems and is subject to annual audits to uphold stringent safety and compliance standards.
NHVR REQUIREMENTS
Organizations engaged in the transport of goods must rigorously adhere to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) standards for load restraint, as outlined in the 2018 Load Restraint Guide.
This guide stipulates that all loads carried on road vehicles, whether heavy or small, must be secured sufficiently to prevent movement during transportation, thereby mitigating the risk of accidents, injuries, and damage to property. It is incumbent upon every organization involved in logistics and freight to ensure that their staff, including full-time employees and contractors, are thoroughly trained in these practices.
This training is not merely a regulatory requirement but also a critical component of an organization’s risk management and safety protocols. Regular audits and compliance checks must be conducted to ensure ongoing adherence to NHVR standards, safeguarding the well-being of individuals and the integrity of transported goods.
Heavy Vehicle – Load Restraint Guide
Whats changed in the new 2018 Load Restraint Guide
LOAD RESTRAINT SAFETY
Loads that aren’t restrained properly can injure or kill and can cause significant property damage.
- If the load falls off it endangers the lives of other road users through a direct collision or by causing other drivers to swerve to avoid it.
- If the load moves forwards it can pierce the cabin and injure or kill the driver or passenger.
- If the load makes the vehicle unstable it can cause an incident, especially when taking corners.
Light Vehicles – Load Restraint Guide
RULES ON LOAD RESTRAINT
You must restrain any load you are carrying on a light vehicle so that it:
- Stays on the vehicle during normal driving conditions this includes heavy braking, cornering, acceleration and even minor collisions.
- Doesn’t negatively affect the stability of the vehicle, making it difficult or unsafe to drive.
- Doesn’t protrude from the vehicle in a way that could injure people, damage property or obstruct others’ paths.
- You must pick up any fallen load if it is safe to do so, or arrange for someone to retrieve it.
