Logistics firm Mainfreight has been hit with an AU$88,500 fine by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court for dangerous goods compliances breaches.

The breaches were detected during the course of an enforcement operation carried out near Lithgow in November 2011, conducted jointly by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Roads and Maritime Services and NSW Police.

EPA officers inspected a truck carrying 3,900kg of various dangerous goods and found numerous contraventions of dangerous goods regulations. These included incompatible dangerous goods, unrestrained dangerous goods including eighteen 200-litre drums of flammable liquids, a failure to placard the load and a failure to have the necessary personal protection equipment.

EPA’s Chief Environmental Regulator, Mr Mark Gifford, stressed the importance of dangerous goods compliance for all parties involved in transport. “Everybody from the driver, through to the vehicle owner and the transporter have a responsibility to ensure that dangerous goods are loaded, stored and transported safely and legally” noted Gifford. “”This is not only a legal requirement but also a social responsibility when flammable and dangerous goods are being transported on public roads.”

Mainfreight noted their commitment to improving safety practices since the incident, citing the appointment of dangerous goods coordinators in their branches, annual dangerous goods audits, computer system enhancements and employee training programmes.