Safety Management System

TruckSafe is moving from a prescriptive (reactive) standards-based accreditation scheme to a simple and flexible risk-based (proactive) safety management system (SMS).

The TruckSafe SMS is being developed with the assistance of the TruckSafe Board, TIAC, the secretariat, TruckSafe operators, auditors, and other key stakeholders. The new program is being designed to provide our members with a straightforward way of fulfilling their obligations under Chain of Responsibility.

Under a Safety Management System (SMS) the safety of personnel, community, infrastructure and facilities is the primary responsibility of staff and management. It is enshrined in the policy and culture of an organisation and becomes a way of life where it is the first consideration in any action or function either undertaken or anticipated. When conducted effectively and efficiently it has numerous and sustainable benefits including, but not limited to, the following:

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Safety Management Systems have been proven to provide a safer work environment for employees, customers, contractors and the public by embedding a safety culture into the business

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provides an effective and demonstrable management of safety duty obligations under the HVNL and various WHS legislation

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ensures resources are allocated to the most critical areas that have an impact on safety

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informed decision making and increased efficiency through reduced duplication and business integration

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reduces costs associated with incidents and accidents including lost work hours, legal fees, insurance premiums, damage and repairs

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assists in ensuring that an organisation will be in a defensible position should an incident occur by being able to demonstrate a commitment to managing risks and safety

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being an employer of choice and a preferred supplier to customers.

From a broader TruckSafe perspective the implementation of a Safety Management System as the framework for members, positions TruckSafe, as it was when first established in 1996, at the forefront of the heavy vehicle safety agenda.

TruckSafe recognises the essential contribution that safety management systems have made to safety critical transport industries in Australia and around the world including aviation, rail and maritime. It is firmly of the belief that a modern heavy vehicle industry (and its regulators) must transition to safety management systems to achieve discernible and sustainable improvements in safety. TruckSafe and the Australian Trucking Association will again lead this agenda. TruckSafe members have always demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the highest safety standards and the most modern risk and evidence-based methodologies. They will again set the benchmark for safety in the heavy vehicle industry and associated supply chain.

The new TruckSafe Safety Management System will replace the current standards and will continue to exceed the requirements of the Master Code and HVNL, providing a layer of certainty that you are ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’ satisfying your legal obligations under Chain of Responsibility laws.

For more information on TruckSafe’s move to a Safety Management System please contact us.