On 4 August 2020, a devastating explosion ripped through the city of Beirut, lighting up the sky with ballooning orange clouds of smoke, and leaving 190 dead, 6,500 injured, and over 300,000 homeless. The cause of the explosion? Improper storage of dangerous ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port – an oversight leading to the most powerful non-nuclear explosion in recent history.

Closer to home, the mishandling of dangerous goods is just as growing a concern. In August this year, a fuel tanker collided with a number of other vehicles on the N2 highway in KwaZulu-Natal, causing a huge fire and resulting in a number of casualties as well.

It’s clear from these examples just how crucial the proper management of dangerous goods is, and how important education, compliance and procedures are in maintaining safety while in transit. For this reason, NOSA offers dangerous goods training which applies to both storage and transportation of dangerous goods in accordance with national and international statutory requirements.

Dangerous Goods Training at NOSA

In order to transport dangerous goods, by law one must first have a Professional Driving Permit, also known as a PrDP (D), and must hold a valid Dangerous Goods certificate as issued by an approved training provider. Furthermore, this certification must be renewed every year in accordance with legal guidelines. For your convenience, NOSA now offers your renewal as a training webinar.

Renewing certification ahead of expiry will not only allow drivers to stay within legal guidelines, but also avoid incurring unnecessary costs.

Register by 16 October 2020 to be part of the webinar programme launching 21 October 2020.

As an approved training facilitator, NOSA’s Convey Dangerous Goods By Road course meets all the legal requirements for certification, and offers convenient webinar training for those needing to renew their certificates ahead of expiry.

By taking the course, drivers will learn how to:

• Safely load, convey and off-load dangerous goods according to legal and organisational requirements.
• Convey dangerous goods in accordance with legal, safety, manufacturer and other relevant requirements.
• Manage any incidents safely, as and when they occur.

Designed to ensure compliance with Chapter 8 of the Road Traffic Act 1996, the course will equip drivers with the necessary skills to:

• Comply with relevant legal documentation requirements.
• Apply safety and standard operating procedures during loading and off-loading.
• Apply safety procedures in the event of an incident.
• Comply with the requirements of SANS 10231 in terms of behaviour en route.

Those drivers wishing to complete the necessary certification for the first time will need to attend class in person at one of NOSA’s training facilities, however those who simply need to renew their certification will be able to do so via a training webinar, for added convenience. Renewing certification ahead of expiry will not only allow drivers to stay within legal guidelines, but also avoid incurring unnecessary costs as well.

If the safety of our roads is as important to you as it is to us, contact us for more on our Dangerous Goods training today. The proper training could not only save you money, but save lives as well.