Wine Industry Code of Practice seeks to enhance safety within the wine and grape transportation sector

A new Wine Industry Code of Practice has recently been registered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), with the objective of facilitating safe and compliant movement of grapes and wine within the supply chain.

In short: the code offers a practical guide for vehicle and load management across the wine sector, helping producers, distributors, and transport operators meet safety obligations while reducing risk throughout the chain from vineyard to shelf.

What does the Wine Code cover?

According to NHVR Acting Chief Safety and Productivity Officer Paul Daly, recommendations developed exclusively for the wine sector are intended to support producers, distributors, and transport operators in ensuring operations remain efficient and compliant, thereby preventing unsafe practices.

"The Wine Industry Code of Practice covers everything from vehicle maintenance to load management and is a comprehensive practical guide for ensuring smooth and safe delivery of grapes and wine, from vineyard to shelf," Mr Daly said.

This national guide sets out clear expectations for anyone handling heavy vehicle operations within the wine supply chain, giving businesses a consistent reference point for day-to-day decisions.

Managing risks specific to wine transport

The Wine Code identifies critical risks and hazards pertinent to the wine sector and offers suggestions for their removal or minimisation. Effective management of these hazards forms the backbone of the guide, covering areas such as:

• Vehicle maintenance and roadworthiness management
• Load restraint and mass management
• Fatigue management for drivers involved in grape and wine transport
• Speed management across delivery routes
• Access management for heavy vehicles entering vineyards and production sites

Strong management practices across these areas directly reduce the likelihood of incidents, supporting both compliance and operational efficiency. Businesses that build these principles into daily management routines are better positioned to avoid breaches and costly downtime.

Who does this guide apply to?

"The Wine Code is relevant to any business in the wine industry that operates, uses or works with heavy vehicles," Mr Daly said.

This includes growers, winemakers, transport operators, and anyone responsible for management of vehicle fleets servicing the sector. Businesses seeking further context on how industry-specific codes function can review our coverage of the NHVR's Code of Practice for the waste and recycling industry or the Log Haulage Industry code of practice for the logging sector for comparison across sectors.

Building stronger safety management systems

Organisations looking to strengthen their broader safety management systems may also benefit from reviewing related standards, including guidance on managing risks of plant in the workplace and updates to the Silica Dust Code of Practice. Robust management of equipment, vehicles, and workplace hazards supports a safer sector overall, whether goods travel by road or are handled on site.

For businesses managing heavy vehicle fleets and workplace documentation together, tools such as a Work Health and Safety Manual can support consistent management practices, while procedures like the Tyres and Rims Replacement SWMS help address vehicle-specific maintenance tasks referenced throughout the Wine Code.

Read more here.