THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

July 2008

Rieks Towing in action at a simulated exercise conducted by Sasol to train all players involved in an on-the-road spillage.

When a tanker carrying Dangerous Goods falls over, it is invariably the transporter who is blamed and left to carry the cost of cleanup operations and pay for damage done to private property and the environment. 

While liability in many cases may be justified, there are instances where the truck is the victim and third parties in various guises are to blame, says Stephen Naude, accident support manager at Rieks Towing.

“As a specialized vehicle recovery operation, DG compliance is essential as far as our trucks and drivers are concerned,” he says. “We undergo extensive training in DG identification and handling to ensure we are equipped to handle any scene confronting our recovery teams. The problem is that there is a general lack of skill among municipal emergency services personnel and widespread ignorance of the correct DG spill protocols.” 

The success of any spill containment operation rests with a highly skilled ‘scene commander’ who can coordinate the respective players in the roll-out of the clean-up. 

“There aren’t enough disaster managers out there with a comprehensive understanding of the different hazardous chemicals being transported across our roads,” adds Naude. “We see caustic soda running across the tarmac and the officer in charge of the scene allowing motorists to drive through it.

“In Zimbabwe recently, we witnessed clean-up personnel using their bare hands to move caustic soda! And when we were called to handle a cyanide spill in Swaziland, we had to wait at the border gate at sunrise because no one had bothered to inform border officials of the emergency!” 

These alarming anecdotes illustrate how dangerous the DG vehicle recovery business is. “It’s really all about skillsdevelopment – training, training and then more training,” Naude says, “and not skimping on the necessary equipment.” 

SKILLS A PRIORITY  The success of any spill containment rests with a highly skilled ‘scene commander’ who will coordinate the respective players in the roll of the clean up

DANGEROUS SCENE A spill scene is a dangerous place for the ignorant - and it seems there are a lot of people who don’t know what to do!