In response to the Radio NZ article on the shortage of specialist certifiers.
The Workshop est 1924 has a front row seat when it comes to what NZTA is doing to try and fix past safety woes in the transportation sector. The industry is already being squeezed by increased taxation and rising fuel costs so it’s not good timing, to put it mildly.
Our local VTNZ has is under huge pressure to inspect and find every possible fault. It’s audits have inspectors second guessing themselves, finding extra issues after COF checks are completed. All of which causes transport operators time, money and frustration.
On our engineering side, we have just one external specialist certified engineer trying his best to get to us each week. He is run off his feet and we are lucky to have him as he can’t take on anymore clients. Engineers are dropping like flies as they get struck off.
The engineering designs across the board are extremely cautious. All this because NZTA tries to ensure debacles like Patrick Chu never happen again.
This tightening in the system comes at a cost. Fewer engineers to certify work, more expensive designs, delays in work being completed but the transport industry only has itself to blame.
Government organisations like the NZTA would like to think that the private sector will operate in a responsible and safe manner, ensuring trucks and heavy equipment is designed and operated safely without having to be micromanaged.
It is not good enough to say “well that’s what we can get away with or that’s what the rules were “. That sort of mentality created the multi billion dollar leaky building cock up when builders constructed cheap buildings using unproven systems that passed the council rules at the time. What happened to having pride in building a structure that will last for decades or designing a tow bar that’s not going to crack after 5 years?
If the transport industry operated on the edge of safety for years it can not blame the NZTA trying to tidy up the mess. On the other hand, NZTA must realise that the issues can not be fixed in a few short years. It is going to take time and in the mean time we need to keep the wheels of industry moving.
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