SOME truck drivers, who transport chemicals within and to neighbouring countries, have admitted that the training offered by the Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA) has been useful.

They said the training has provided them with understanding of character of chemicals, adhering to procedures of safe transportation of chemicals and taking precautions over effects of hazardous chemicals.

The group stated this over the weekend in Dar es Salaam during a training programme to 36 drivers on safe transportation of chemicals organised by the GCLA.

Speaking on behalf of other drivers from Golden Coach company which deals with transportation of chemicals, Mr Isihaka Omary, said initially they did not understand anything about safe transportation of chemicals, but after the training they understood procedures and various rules guiding transportation of chemicals as well as how to protect their health and environment.

"It's clear that you have opened our eyes on procedures and rules guiding transportation of chemicals. We have understood more how to protect ourselves from effects of chemicals," he said.

"We thank the GCLA Eastern Zone for running this training programme. We promise that we are going to implement all that we have learnt," he added.

On his part, Human Resources Manager of the Golden Coach Company, Mr Chrispin Kayombo, said the training has enabled the company to have more drivers with capacity of transporting chemicals within and to other countries.

"We thank the management of the GCLA for training our drivers who have now been allowed to transport chemicals as the law requirement," Mr Chrispin noted.

Closing the training on behalf of Chief Government Chemist Dr Fidelice Mafumiko, authority's manager for Eastern Zone, Mr Danstan Mkapa, called upon drivers to work on knowledge obtained from the training.

Mr Mkapa told the participants that adhering to safety procedures would make them safe from effects of the hazardous chemicals.