Revealed: why RTMS rocks

Let’s start with your award. Tell us more about it?

RTMS and JC Auditors scooped the outstanding achievement award for special projects at the inaugural African Supply Chain Excellence Awards, which recognises the achievements of organisations working in the supply chain in Africa, with awards in various categories.

You’ve long been a proponent of the RTMS. Why is it so important?

The RTMS provides a solid framework for a commercial fleet to manage its operations in a safe, compliant and efficient manner. The overarching goal of the standard is to improve road safety performance, specifically the prevention of crashes.

Is it really necessary though? Isn’t it enough to simply be a safe transport operator?

No, the lack of a risk-based management approach is a root cause of the high crash rates within the heavy vehicle road transport sector. There are just simply too many transporters out there who do not implement the very basics of safe transport. The RTMS offers an ideal framework for a transport business to mitigate its risk and start getting serious about safety.

If a transport operator does want to go the RTMS route, you can help?

Yes. The team at JC Auditors pioneered the RTMS audits, and we have conducted well over 15 000 audits over the last 15 years across all transport sectors. Understanding the crucial importance of developing capacity for the RTMS to succeed, we have engaged in various initiatives to support the growth and development of the project. These include hosting training courses at the major centres in South Africa pre-Covid, and then via virtual online engagements.

We would imagine that the role of the driver in improving safety is vital, right?

Absolutely. The role of heavy vehicle drivers is often not given adequate attention and we have a strong commitment to uplift the profile and empower these important individuals who play such a vital role in driving the wheels of the economy. To this end, JCA launched an annual driver day, initially held at the Highway Junction truck stop in Harrismith. This initiative aimed to create a forum to appreciate drivers and spread the safe driving message in an engaging and innovative manner. Another successful project was the Safe Transport Empowerment Programme (STEP), which focused on developing the skills of new entrants into the commercial freight industry.

So, drivers are essential to safety. Can they also play a role when it comes to the environment?

Definitely. The need to prevent pollution is especially vital for the logistics/transport sector, which is one of the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions. The easy win here would be to focus on reducing exhaust emissions by concentrating on driving behaviour. It is common knowledge that harsh acceleration and driving at high speeds increase vehicle emissions and waste fuel – not to mention the direct associated road safety risks. It makes complete sense then to focus on driving behaviour to achieve tangible emissions reduction, fuel savings and of course, reduced risk.

 

In addition to the road safety risks faced by road transport operators, there is an increasing demand worldwide for transporters to demonstrate that business strategy incorporates environment, social and governance (ESG) directives. How can this be achieved?

To achieve this, companies are relying on internationally recognised ISO certifications to demonstrate their governance and business sustainability practices. We are seeing a shift with a rapidly increasing demand for ISO certifications in various sectors, notably in the transportation/logistics sector. Corporate shareholders and stakeholders are focused on sound corporate governance, which in turn requires that suppliers, including transporters, also comply with the various governance pillars, including quality, environmental and safety systems – amongst others. Effectively, all these governance and management systems are intended to ultimately create resilience and sustainability in supply chains.

Which is the most popular ISO certification?

The most popular standard is ISO 9001, which has the primary aim of promoting a process approach that is focused on the delivery of client expectations – delivering a better, premium, customer experience. ISO 14001 promotes the implementation of a structured environmental management system that makes provision for the prevention of pollution and responsible waste management. It also requires a commitment to improving environmental performance.

And what about the much-discussed ISO 45001?

The ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Standard replaced the OHSAS 18001 standard and requires that safety systems are in place to protect workers from injury and harm. In a transport business, the vehicle maintenance workshop has the highest occupational risk – hence a well-defined and controlled system should be in place.

A common audit finding in the workshop is where an employee inflates a truck tyre without cage protection – a practice that can be fatal! The ISO 45001 audit looks at these very practical occupational risks and assesses whether adequate mitigating measures are in place. The ISO 45001 audits also examine whether the company has implemented processes to make provision for compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and associated regulations. In fact, all the ISO standards require that an organisation identify the applicable legal requirements and address those relevant to the business. Perhaps this is one reason for the global trend that makes ISO certification (mainly to ISO 9001) a very common prerequisite for contracts and tenders.

This sounds somewhat complicated and intimidating! Is certification as tough as it sounds?

It can be. But, in May 2022, we launched a one-stop certification solution that delivers a simplified process for businesses to achieve certification to multiple ISO standards using an integrated audit approach. This cost-effective and innovative approach allows a single assessment solution for various standards and legislative requirements for a business – regardless of the sector.

There is no duplication of processes or documents and, instead of managing several systems, an integrated approach that is efficient and cost-effective ensures companies are meeting the necessary standards, and regulatory and legal requirements.