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Chain of Responsibility - Summary
The Chain of Responsibility (CoR) plays an important role in supporting safe, reliable road transport for all road users.
The Chain of Responsibility (CoR) is the part of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) that makes parties other than drivers responsible for the safety of heavy vehicles on the road.
The concept of Chain of Responsibility is to improve heavy vehicle safety and reduce public risks during transport activities for the driver, the public and other parties by ensuring everyone in the chain is doing their part.The HVNL has been designed to:
- Promote public safety
- Manage the impact of heavy vehicles on the environment, road infrastructure and public amenity
- Promote industry productivity and efficiency in the road transport of goods and passengers by heavy vehicles
- Encourage and promote productive, efficient, innovative and safe business practices.
It benefits all road users. You, friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, and the wider community.
- Promote public safety
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The Primary Duty
Every decision and every action has the ability to influence heavy vehicle safety.
CoR requires that every party in the chain does everything reasonably practicable to ensure the safety of their transport activities - the primary duty.Simply, this means making decisions in relation to transport activities that will ensure the safety of road users and the wider community.Managing the risks associated with heavy vehicle transport activities leads to a decrease in both off-road and on-road incidents.Any time we send or receive goods using a heavy vehicle with a gross vehicle mass of more than 4.5 tonnes, we become a part (or party) of CoR.
And, if you are a party in CoR, you have a responsibility to do everything you can to ensure the safety of council's transport activities.
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Executive duty and due diligence
Executives must exercise due diligence to ensure the business complies with its primary duty.
Who is an executive?The term "executive" refers to individuals involved in business management, including executive officers, managers, company directors, and partners.
If you are an executive of a business that is a party in (CoR), you must exercise due diligence to ensure that the business complies with its primary duty. (The duty also applies to other safety duty provisions in the HVNL.)
IF: Primary Duty = Business responsibility to ensure public safetyTHEN: Executive Duty = Executive responsibility to ensure the business complies with the primary duty.What does due diligence mean?Executives must remain informed on business hazards and risks.Exercising due diligence means:- Active leadership in transport safety
- Understanding and maintaining knowledge of transport activities
- Understanding the nature of the business’s transport activities, including the hazards and risks of those activities
- Ensuring the business has, and uses, resources and systems in place to manage safety
- Reviewing CoR risks and responding to risks effectively and promptly
- Active leadership in transport safety