ZABS bar 80 foreign tankers over safety hitches
THE Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) has barred 80 foreign road tank vehicles from operating after they failed to meet the required quality and safety compliance tests.
ZABS head of marketing and public relations, Hazel Zulu said only 2, 428 out of 2, 508 had met the required standards and were allowed to bring petroleum products in the country. In a statement issued to the Daily Nation, Ms Zulu explained that in a bid to ensure compliance of foreign road tank vehicles to set standards, and promote road safety, ZABS had inspected 2, 508 vehicles between the first and third quarters of the year.
Ms Zulu said that the foreign tankers were inspected to make certain that all petroleum products being conveyed in the country, where transported in such a manner that it was in conformity to the relevant Zambian Standards.
“The tankers were inspected in accordance with the Zambian Standard, ZS 371 which prescribes specifications for road tank vehicles for petroleum based flammable liquids and ZS 429 which prescribes specifications for the handling, storage and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas,” she said.
Ms Zulu explained that ZABS inspected the tankers to confirm if they were safe in terms of electrical and mechanical systems among other parameters and also to ensure that all possibilities of sources of ignition coming into contact with flammable liquids where eliminated.
She said that ZS 371 and ZS 429 were mandatory standards and non-compliance to mandatory standards was an offence under the laws of Zambia.
Ms Zulu said that the tankers that had failed to meet the set standards were neither certified nor allowed to transport petroleum products on the Zambian roads.
“In the first quarter, 24 tankers failed to meet the standard, 23 tankers failed in the second quarter and 33 tankers failed in the third quarter of 2017.
“We would however like to see 100% compliance levels on foreign road tank vehicles as they transport highly flammable petroleum products which may be highly hazardous to the public,” Ms Zulu said.