TAKE STEPS TO PREVENT GRAPE SPILLAGES THIS VINTAGE

​As a wine grape grower, wine producer and or transporter of grapes, you are required to comply with the Chain of Responsibility requirements under the Heavy Vehicle National Law. This includes ensuring that goods are appropriately secured and that mass limits, dimensions and roadworthiness requirements are complied with.
 
A key hazard to proactively manage this vintage is the issue of grape spillages on public roads. SAWIA is aware that grape spillages unfortunately have occurred in the past across the industry. 
A spillage is a breach of the Chain of Responsibilities obligations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has warned of potential prosecutions of parties responsible for grape spillages. 
 
Where it is found that a role holder had capacity to influence and control the matter, but did not discharge their obligation, which exposes others to a risk of death or serious injury or illness, the role holder may face a fine of up to $300,000 for an individual or up to $3,000,000 for a corporation.
 
To ensure a consistent approach to Chain of Responsibility across wine growing regions of Australia and assist businesses to meet their obligations, a Registered Industry Code of Practice is being developed by the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) in partnership with Australian Grape & Wine Inc (AGW).
 
Development of the code is possible thanks to funding from the 2020-21 Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, supported by the Federal Government and administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
 
In order to capture the current issues and workshop potential solutions, stakeholder engagement sessions involving wine grape growers, wine producers and transporters were held across South Australia’s wine regions in late 2020. Further consultations in interstate wine regions will be undertaken post vintage 2022.
GRAPE SPILLAGE - POTENTIAL CONTROL MEASURES
 
In stakeholder sessions to date, a number of potential controls to prevent grape spillages have been discussed and explored with participants, including:

• Closely consider the type of vessel that fruit will be transported in to minimise risk of spillages, e.g., bins vs tip trailers, require baffles in tip trailers, high-sided tip trailers with less fruit or other design modifications.
•  Install weight cells onto trailers, forklifts and/or harvesters to measure fruit weight and avoid overloading.
•  Ensure correct storage of plastic bins to minimise exposure to sun and bins becoming brittle and breaking.
•  Consider different fill levels taking different factors into account. e.g., grape varieties and travel time – the greater time travelled the more juice levels increase.
•  Select transporters with experience in the wine industry and
•  Transporters to inform drivers of low-risk behaviour relevant to minimise spillages.

 
However, as the stakeholder engagement continues, further control measures are likely to be discussed and not all control measures are appropriate in all circumstances.
 
Overall, in order to manage your Chain of Responsibility obligations, consider the following:

• Understand what your transport activities are.
• Identify the risks of your activities.
• Identify which transport activities you can influence and control, and which ones you can’t.
• Ensure collaboration between wine grape growers, vineyard contractors, transporters, wineries in relation to how each one can play their part in the Chain of Responsibility.
• Read relevant guides and Codes, including the Master Code and Load Restraint Guide.
• Participate in industry discussions and encourage the sharing of ideas and best practice and
• Subscribe to safety bulletins, education and training updates from NHVR.

 
FURTHER INFORMATION AND ADVICE
 
Wine Grape Council of SA (WGCSA) has an arrangement with the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) to provide assistance and advice in relation to work health and safety and workplace relations.
 
WGCSA members can contact SAWIA on 8222 9277 or [email protected]. 

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