Panellists at the International Seminar on Road Transport Capacity Building and Professional Training, organised by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) Academy, in cooperation with Mowasalat and the Arab Union of Land Transport (AULT), in Doha yesterday.
DOHA: The rapid industrial expansion in Qatar has created a high demand for hazardous goods, doubling the numbers of trucks carrying such substances and posing higher risks with regard to public safety, a seminar here was told.
Over 60 delegates from companies and organisations involved in the transport of dangerous goods in Qatar participated in the International Seminar on Road Transport Capacity Building and Professional Training organised by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) Academy, in cooperation with Mowasalat and the Arab Union of Land Transport (AULT).
This seminar, which focused on the transport of dangerous goods by road (ADR), falls under a regional project for the League of Arab States countries aimed at improving road safety and road transport efficiency in the region. It was supported by the Islamic Development Bank.
In his inaugural address, Nasser Al Khanji, Mowasalat’s Business Development and Strategy Director said that Mowasalat has developed the bases of integrated training, in collaboration with the IRU Academy, to build up efficient training capacities and to attain global leadership in this area.
Jassem Saif Al Sulaiti, Mowasalat’s Chairman and Managing Director, said the seminar assumes great significance for the safety of people, vehicles and road users resulting from the transportation of dangerous goods, including fuels, flammable materials, chemicals and radioactive material.
Ahmed Bu Sherbak Al Mansouri, Mowasala’s Executive Director, said that the transportation of dangerous goods by road is increasing due to the rich natural resources, the strong demand for transport and economic growth.
The strict compliance with the international regulations of the carriage of dangerous goods by road in increasing being an essential requirement and a significant factor in ensuring the safety of drivers, vehicles and road users and benefiting the community as a whole.
In this regard, the UN Convention on International Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road stands as the strongest multilateral framework for international rules and legislations related to the safe transport of dangerous goods by road everywhere, including the Arab countries.
Robert Makondo, Mowasalat’s Training Manager, said that training materials included many of the approved fundamentals for transporting hazardous goods and reducing their danger in cases of accidents.
“We have developed a course, including such materials and ways of handling them in various cases and thorough information on road safety. The workshop’s aim was to identify the bases and methods of the safe carriage of various dangerous goods by road; enhance the mechanisms for compliance with such bases and methods; and boost awareness of the importance of observing them to avoid accidents involving high-scale danger for both humans and machinery, particularly in high-density roads, and preserve national resources and economy.”
Dr Mahmoud Abdallatt, AULT Secretary-General, stressed the necessity of conducting high-level professional training for managers and drivers involved in the transport of dangerous goods by road in the Arab world and effectively implementing the conditions related to the transport of dangerous goods, particularly the conditions related to loading, unloading and handling of the related transport equipment; improving road safety; and developing professional training on land transport to avoid human, environmental and economic damage caused by accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles carrying dangerous goods.
Haydar Ozkan, IRU General Delegate to the IRU Permanent Delegation to the Middle East and the region, welcomed the efforts and decisions of many countries in relation to accessing the ADR Agreement.
He pointed out that the human factor is the most crucial element in achieving safe transport, which requires compulsory appropriate professional training of truck drivers in line with ADR Agreement and the IRU Academy international training standards.
This requires continuing the efforts to develop necessary regional transport infrastructure plans of the regional transport activities, allowing greater international mobility of goods and people, including greater transport of dangerous goods by road.
The Peninsula
