Tanker operator OneLogix United Bulk have been awarded ISO 39001 certification, an internationally recognised standard that aims to help save lives and mitigate road traffic safety risks. The company have made history by becoming the first dangerous goods transporter in South Africa to achieve this milestone.
OneLogix United Bulk successfully completed the requirements for the system, designed to enable an organisation that interacts with the road traffic system, to reduce death and serious injuries. The ISO 39001 recognition was awarded to the company by certification body JC Auditors, after an extensive audit and inspection process.
Andries Helm, Head of SHERQ at OneLogix United Bulk, expressed his joy with the achievement, saying it reflected the company’s keen interest in applying the best international practices in traffic safety. “We have successfully integrated the elements of the ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety (RTS) into our existing management system. A key requirement was identifying risk exposure factors and developing associated RTS performance factors,” he said. “The acid test was achieving the final safety outcomes of the standard, effectively demonstrating that we had proactively implemented all possible measures to mitigate the likelihood of crashes due to company error.”
According to Helm, OneLogix United Bulk’s decision to work towards ISO 39001 also demonstrates its commitment to continually improving its services and track record. The standard is considered a significant contributor to the United Nations’ second Decade of Action for Road Safety. It aims to help save lives, support social responsibility programmes, improve road traffic safety results and, subsequently, cut accident-related costs and work interruptions.
Commenting on the achievement, Oliver Naidoo, Managing Director of JC Auditors and long-standing member of the international ISO Road Traffic Safety Technical Committee, said ISO standards enable an organisation to tangibly demonstrate its commitment to good governance. “OneLogix United Bulk successfully showed how it would minimise the impact or risk of its activities on road users.”
According to Naidoo, ISO 39001 provides a mechanism, developed with the support of experts from 40 countries and 16 liaison organisations, to implement a structured management system that effectively regulates road safety performance. “The standard can be implemented by any entity that interacts with the road network such as transporters, road agencies, toll concessionaires, consignors and consignees,” he said. “An important requirement for the implementation is that intermediate safety outcome factors are integrated into an organisation’s practices and systems.”
This is done following a range of criteria including the use of appropriate roads, based on vehicle type and cargo, driver fitness, safe journey planning and safe vehicles – to name a few.
JC Auditors encourages companies to look at integrating standards such as 39001, 45001 and SANS 1395 RTMS into existing management systems.
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