Geneva, Switzerland: The International Road Transport Union Academy has launched a training programme with an interactive simulator for safe loading and cargo securing that complies with the new CEN standard that came into force on 31 May.
The programme is available to road transport companies through the IRU Academy’s Accredited Training Institutes and will contribute to further enhance safety on roads, its says.
Mårten Johansson, president of the IRU International Commission on Technical Affairs, says: “Correct loading and securing of goods on road freight vehicles is essential to ensure safe and legal road transport. It is therefore vital that the securing of cargo on a vehicle is carried out according to adequate standards, applied in a harmonised way across Europe and beyond.”
“The IRU and its Members therefore strongly support the implementation of the revised EN 12195-1 standard as it ensures optimal cargo securing conditions for all parties involved in the transport chain,” he says.
The training programme covers issues such as risks and responsibilities, technical standards, laws of physics, vehicle characteristics, categories of goods transported, loading best practices, securing material and securing techniques.
Patrick Philipp, the IRU’s head of training says: “The IRU Academy Safe Loading and Cargo Securing Training programme not only provides up-to-date theoretical knowledge but also tests, with exercises and simulations, the understanding and competence acquired. Students will use the simulator to experience different scenarios covering a wide range of situations to ultimately hone their technical skills in a cost-efficient and safe environment.”
The programme is available in English and shortly also in multiple languages, through the IRU Academy’s global network of Accredited Training Institute.
The revised CEN standard EN 12195-1, which was designed in line with the IMO/ILO/UNECE Best practice guidelines, enters into force on 31 May 2011, for all CEN contracting parties. It will considerably secure and facilitate international road transport by removing conflicts between national standards as well as potential discrimination against foreign suppliers.
EN 12195-1 on cargo securing guidelines is part of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN)’s revision, initiated in 2005 and adopted in 2010.
