Chemicals are vital to our daily lives: fuel for our cars, cooking and warmth, fertilisers that enhance food production, clean drinking-water, safe processing of waste-water, cleaning and medical products. Whilst chemicals are beneficial, many have the potential to cause harm to people and to damage the environment if they are allowed to escape.
Chemicals must be transported from where they are produced to where they are needed. During transport, the risk of escape increases significantly. For transport purposes, chemicals are referred to as “dangerous goods.”
To reduce the risk, dangerous goods must be transported and handled with care. People involved in the transport chain, for example, loaders, vehicle drivers and warehouse operatives, must be trained to carry out their tasks safely. Dangerous goods must be contained in specially designed and manufactured packagings and tanks. These must show special signs and information about their contents to warn everyone involved in the transport operation of the dangers, also emergency services in the event of an incident or accident. Documentation containing information about the goods must accompany each shipment.
Shipments of dangerous goods are transported both completely within the UK, and imported and exported. Much export and import transport is shipped by sea in freight-containers carried on container-ships. In addition, many commercial vehicles which transport dangerous goods make sea-crossings on roll-on-roll-off ferries.
Shipments of dangerous goods may also be made by aircraft. Air transport is more expensive than road and sea and is often used for time-critical shipments.
Each method of transport: road, sea and air, has its own rules. It is vital that the rules are adhered to if the goods are to arrive safely at their destination. Failure to follow the rules can place people in danger, cause shipments to be stopped and result in costs to remedy non-compliance issues. Legal action may follow serious infringements of the rules.
Road Transport and DGSA
The rules which govern road transport in the UK are the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009, as amended, (CDG 2009). CDG 2009 requires transport to be in accordance with ADR. ADR is the Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road.
ADR requires most organisations that transport, load or unload dangerous goods to appoint a Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser, (DGSA).
We can provide a DGSA service for you. For more than twenty years, we have worked in partnership with our clients to ensure that dangerous goods are transported safely and legally.
Our DGSA service includes:
· Systems and procedures audits
· Training requirement assessments
· Vehicle marking, placarding and transport documentation guidance
· Package selection and package marking and labelling guidance
· Vehicle safety equipment and personal protective equipment guidance
· Emergency response and security requirements guidance
· Investigation of accidents and incidents involving dangerous goods
· Guidance on transporting small loads and limited quantities
· Telephone and email support
· Provision of an annual report
Please contact us if you would like more details about our DGSA service or if you would like guidance on whether your involvement in transporting dangerous goods requires a DGSA.
It may be that your involvement in transporting dangerous goods does not require a DGSA. Certain small loads and small packages of low-danger dangerous goods may be carried under the ‘Small Loads’ and Limited Quantities concessions. These concessions are utilised by many organisations which benefit from the operational and cost saving advantages offered when transporting small loads and limited quantities.
It is important to understand that these are ‘concessions’ whereby not all of the rules need to be applied and they are not exemptions from the rules.
Please contact us if you would like more details about Small Loads and Limited Quantities.
Most drivers who transport dangerous goods must have an ADR Driver Training Certificate. Non-driving staff that are involved in the dangerous goods operation must also be trained, although not necessarily to ADR Driver Training Certificate Level. Traffic office staff, warehouse staff fork-lift drivers etc will need to be trained, also drivers who transport only small loads and limited quantities.
We can provide suitable training for such staff. Training would be tailored to your business, delivered either at our centre or at your site, subject to the availability of a suitable facility.
Please contact us if you would like more details about our training service.
Sea transport
Sea transport of dangerous goods is governed by the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, (IMDG Code).
Dangerous goods transported on a vehicle where the journey involves a sea voyage will be subject to the IMDG Code when the vehicle is on-board the ship or ferry. The IMDG Code rules are more prescriptive than those in ADR.
Similarly, for exporters that ship dangerous goods by sea, there are more detailed rules: for example, sea transport shipments will not usually be accepted by shipping-lines without an accompanying transport document in the form of a Dangerous Goods Note – DGN.
Certain small packages of low-danger dangerous goods may be shipped by sea as Limited Quantities. Shippers using these methods can save money by lower packaging and shipping costs.
Our sea transport service includes:
· Vehicle marking and placarding guidance
· Guidance on completion of the DGN
· Selection of appropriate packaging
· Sourcing appropriate packaging
· Package marking and labelling guidance
· Limited quantities
Please contact us if you would like more details about our sea transport service.
Air transport
Air transport of dangerous goods is governed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, (ICAO TI). For practical purposes, however, the applicable rules are the International Air Transport Association Dangerous Goods Regulations, (IATA DGR). The IATA DGR are effectively a ‘field manual’ that is more user-friendly than the ICAO TI and which must be followed when shipping dangerous goods by air.
Many dangerous goods are considered as too dangerous to be transported by air and are forbidden. Others are permitted only in smaller quantities than those allowed by road or by sea.
Some goods may be transported on certain passenger aircraft, others are permitted only on cargo aircraft.
Certain small packages of low-danger dangerous goods may be shipped by air as Limited Quantities or Excepted Quantities. Shippers using these methods can save money by lower packaging and airfreight costs.
Our air transport service includes:
· Verifying whether a shipment may be transported by air
· Determining the quantities that may be transported
· Selection of appropriate packaging
· Sourcing appropriate packaging
· Package marking and labelling guidance
· Limited Quantities and Excepted Quantities
· Completion of the Shipper’s Dangerous Goods Declaration (the air transport document)
Please contact us if you would like more details about our air transport service.
Please contact us if you would like guidance on any of our services or any aspect of the transport of dangerous goods.
01787 280237
The Post House
Stanstead
CO10 9AP UK.