Steel company moves to recognise Trucksafe, AMCAS accreditation in supply chain, to avoid audit duplication
In a move the protagonists hope will be a blow for safety and against audit duplication, BlueScope is seeking adherence to two differing industry initiatives.
The steel supplier requires a level of assurance that parties in its heavy vehicle supply chain recognised in the Heavy Vehicle National Law comply with the Master Industry Code of Practice, it has been announced.
This may be through audit services such as TruckSafe or the Australian Logistics Council Master Code Auditing Service (AMCAS) accreditation.
“BlueScope take our safety responsibilities very seriously and have strong systems in place to ensure the health and wellbeing of our employees, customers, contractors and the community,” BlueScope health and safety manager Karen Bonenfant says.
“We understand the need to reduce audit duplication with our supply chain partners and also recognise the comprehensive assurance that systems like TruckSafe and AMCAS provides.
“Participation in audits using the Master Industry Code of Practice is a great way to have fresh eyes look at your systems and processes for the purpose of learning and improving. It also provides confidence that we are meeting our chain of responsibility obligations.
“Duplication of auditing the same systems, however, can be counter-intuitive when it comes to safety, especially for small operators where their time is best spent with their people and in their trucks.
“A better approach is to share audit findings amongst supply chain partners so we can all support each other to improve.”
ATA safety, health and wellbeing director Melissa Weller said the ATA and the ALC are working together to reduce audit duplication.
“Audit duplication is costly, time-consuming and diverts resources that are better focused on safety, with audits generally covering the same ground while being of little legal value,” Weller says.
“Streamlined auditing and reduced duplication decreases stress on customers and operators, removing the need to spend extensive time completing audits when they could be spending more time out in their business.”
Read how the ALC warned about audit duplication, here
ALC safety manager Karen Bow said members like BlueScope are leading the way in reducing audit duplication and encouraged more businesses to follow their lead.
“Being able to demonstrate that they have been audited against the master code shows that operators are meeting their due diligence and duty of care,” Bow says.
“It shows customers and the community that they have responsible work practices, well-trained drivers, and risk management systems that keep themselves, their vehicles and the community safe.
“ALC and the ATA look forward to working closely with companies like BlueScope to ensure operators in the supply chain work towards reducing the burden of audit duplication whilst operating safely and responsibly.”