The Problem
The selection, maintenance, and operation of tank containers in the chemical supply chain are essential to ensure that dangerous goods are transported safely, with minimum risk to people or the environment. Accurate product information is vital to guarantee that the correct equipment is used and to ensure that all stakeholders in the supply chain are aware of the risks.
Non-compliance with safety protocols at any point in the chain threatens lives. Such risks are especially high when key players do not have access to crucial safety information. Consider the incident in 2012 when a tank container transporting Divinylbenzene, a heat-sensitive product, caused a significant maritime incident. The extensive damage impacted thousands of cargo containers and the vessel. The estimated monetary cost of this tragedy is over $150 million. The courts considered that the tank operator and chemical manufacturer held sufficient information to ensure safe passage, but they failed to share it. This was an important legal precedent.
A second challenge in supply chain logistics is that of security. It is vital to ensure that high-consequence dangerous goods do not fall into the wrong hands. Such goods can be leveraged by terrorists and include explosives, flammable gases, toxic gases, and flammable liquids.
Safety and security protocols exist to mitigate risk during the transport of high-risk materials, for example, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) requirements. However, the regulatory environment is complex and sometimes difficult to interpret and enforce.
The Solution
LogChain abstracts away the complexity involved in regulatory compliance. By applying the principle that communication is crucial to successful, safe, and well-managed transport logistics, the LogChain platform supports all stakeholders with ready access to, and understanding of, information relevant to the product. This ensures that everyone in the chain knows the risks and steps necessary to control them.
The LogChain platform ensures that only those staff with the appropriate training and only tank containers with an appropriate specification and maintenance history are part of the chain for dangerous goods. LogChain is also the first platform to act as a single source of truth to guarantee the existence of a security plan, essential when handling high consequence dangerous goods.
The Outcome
LogChain’s platform ensures that every stakeholder has access to vital information relating to product care and people’s safety. Should an incident occur, LogChain ensures that all the necessary information is available to manage its consequences.
LogChain ensures that all regulatory requirements are intuitively and quickly accessible by any stakeholder in the transport chain. LogChain also guarantees that maintenance protocols for containers intended for the transport of dangerous goods are accessible and that compliance is enforced.
By implementing LogChain, customers can guarantee:
- Accurate, accessible information relating to the characteristics of the product
- All stakeholders have access to advice on special precautions to ensure safe handling of the product
- All equipment used in the supply chain is selected to be compatible with the product being transported, and maintained in accordance with statutory requirements
- Existence of a security policy
- Every agent understands their responsibilities
- That only adequately trained staff are responsible for the movement of high-risk goods
Ready to simplify your regulatory compliance, strengthen your security strategy, and enforce safety in your supply chain logistics? Then reach out and ask to see LogChain in action.