The government of the Spanish Autonomous Community of Castile-Leon have published an agreement containing a series of measures to limit and prevent the spread of coronavirus. Some of them concern the transport industry, notably the issue of loading and unloading.
On Thursday, Castile and Leon published Agreement 76/2020 of 3rd November, which sets out special measures to reduce the pandemic in the region, according to the Spanish transport organisation CETM.
One section of the document provides for measures covering the transport and logistics sector. It says that logistics and goods transport companies must comply with the guidelines on precautionary measures aimed at “avoiding contact with the driver when exchanging documentation at loading and unloading points”.
In addition, the regional authorities have included the following recommendation in the agreement:
whenever possible, the driver shall not interfere in loading and unloading operations. It is the responsibility of the company where the activity is carried out and the driver must remain in the cab or in a place specifically designated for that purpose.
CETM and the Federation of Freight Road Transport Companies of Castile-Leon (FETRACAL) have also welcomed this measure:
Although it has been taken up in the face of an exceptional situation such as the coronavirus pandemic, it represents progress towards one of the sector’s older, still unheard of demands, which is to ban drivers from loading and unloading.”
“The participation of drivers in loading and unloading is not only contrary to the rules on the prevention of occupational risks, but currently also endangers their health, increasing the risk of infection,” the organisation adds.
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