Is Your Lashing Compliant?
Lashing is responsible for restraining goods in transit when they are being shipped or transported over long distances – particularly inside sea containers. It is a vital part of keeping goods safe and secure for arrival. Without the correct cargo restraints in place, goods can fall over, get bumped around and become damaged en route to their destination.
If you don’t have compliant lashing straps for containers, not only can it result in damaged cargo and lost income, but it can also result in grievous injuries to personnel.
Therefore, it is important for lashing to be compliant with various codes and regulations. These ensure the lashing is dependable and will restrain the cargo as advertised. Non-compliant, cheap forms of can present a risk of cargo working loose in transit.
What are some of the codes or regulations for lashing that should be adhered to?
Cargo Transport Units (CTU) Code
The CTU code is a global code of practice, providing recommendations, that govern the way that cargo is stowed, secured and handled. Although it is not mandatory, it is put in place to help the whole supply chain manage the handling and packing of cargo transport units, which primarily involve shipping containers, for safe arrival.
This code is designed to help set a benchmark of restraint standards for transportation over land and overseas, so all those involved in the global supply chain can ensure that they are meeting best practice standards.
International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code
The IMDG code is another international code that governs maritime transport. It is specifically designed to help manage the transportation of packaged dangerous goods to ensure the safety and security of not only the goods, but of the logistics personnel tasked with handling them.
The proper packaging of dangerous goods when transported overseas in containers, or over land, is essential to prevent load shifts and chemical spills, which pose a huge risk to human life and the environment. The IMDG code lays out a series of regulations and best practices that ensure the safe transport and container restraint for dangerous goods.
Australia Load Restraint Guide 2018
This guide is designed to ensure that truck drivers, operators and others who work in the logistics and transport chain can meet certain requirements to ensure the safe transport and delivery of cargo. Anyone involved in the logistics industry, whether in loading, moving or packing, is responsible for complying with load restraint laws. Thus, a careful review of the Australia Load Restraint Guide is recommended.
How to Tell If Lashing Is Compliant
In these guides and codes, you can find different methods and recommendations for container lashing straps. For lashing to be compliant, it is generally recommended to at least be certified by an independent 3rd party, providing its linear and system strength. If it does not, then you need to question its ability to properly secure the load safely and to a level of compliance.
Unfortunately, some sellers on the market claim to be compliant when they are not. A closer inspection of lashing load capacities or test reports quickly reveals that their lashings are not up to code.
Therefore, it is important to conduct load calculations based on the products being shipped, as this will provide a valuable reference as to whether or not lashing straps are compliant. The importance of doing these calculations cannot be stressed enough, as the failure to do such calculations, combined with ill-chosen lashing products, could result in a restraint failure and potentially serious consequences for those involved. Particularly if there is injury or death involved in the failure as a result of the lashings coming loose or if goods are damaged to a significant extent.
At X-Pak Global, we offer fully compliant lashing straps for containers that meet all of the regulatory compliance requirements so that you can transport your goods with confidence. We can also provide engineered workings to show how our lashing systems will ensure you meet the requirements of a specific code. Contact us today for more information or a free demo.
