Carry dangerous goods by road (ADR)

Dangerous goods include explosives, gases, flammable liquids and solids, oxidising, toxic, infectious, radioactive and corrosive substances, and other hazardous materials. Moving them by road is governed by an international agreement known as ADR. In England, Scotland and Wales, the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 make ADR law. No one may carry dangerous goods, or cause or permit them to be carried, in a way that ADR prohibits or that breaks any ADR requirement that applies.

Who the rules apply to

The duty falls on everyone in the chain, not only the haulier. If you send goods (the consignor), pack or fill them, load or unload them, or drive or operate the vehicle, you have duties under ADR. The consignor is responsible for classifying, packaging and marking the goods.

Lighter rules apply to small amounts. Goods shipped in limited quantities go in small inner containers, packed in boxes of up to 30kg or on shrink-wrapped trays of up to 20kg. You do not need to follow all the normal packaging and labelling rules for them, and you do not need a safety adviser. ADR sets the maximum for each inner container by substance, and some goods cannot be sent as limited quantities at all. Small loads below the thresholds in ADR chapter 1.1.3.6 also have reduced requirements.

The regulations do not cover carriage through the Channel Tunnel system.

Classify, pack and document the goods

ADR sorts dangerous goods into nine classes, some split into divisions. The class decides how you must pack, label and carry the goods.

You must use packaging approved for the goods. The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is the UK certification authority for dangerous goods packaging and some bulk containers. Before you order packaging, ask the supplier for a copy of its certificate, its datasheets on how to use the packaging and any test reports.

Each package must carry the correct hazard symbols, warnings and safety advice. The consignor must usually complete a transport document describing the goods, and that document must travel with them. Vehicles must display orange-coloured plates where ADR requires them. For tank and bulk loads carried within the UK in a UK vehicle, the plates show an emergency action code instead of the hazard identification number.

Use qualified drivers

A driver carrying dangerous goods must hold a dangerous goods (ADR) driver card. The card lists the classes the driver may carry and whether they may carry them in packages, in tanks or both. Drivers qualify by taking a core training module plus modules for the goods they will carry, and passing an exam for each. They must not drive dangerous goods until the card arrives.

The qualification lasts 5 years. To stay qualified, drivers must take refresher training and pass the refresher exam at least 2 weeks before the card expires. Refresher training can start up to a year before expiry without losing time on the current card.

A driver whose main job is driving dangerous goods in a heavy goods vehicle also needs an HGV licence and a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Up to 14 hours of dangerous goods training can count towards the 35 hours of Driver CPC training every 5 years. Drivers who load at fuel terminals also need a Petroleum Driver Passport.

You must keep training records for every member of staff involved in carrying dangerous goods for at least 6 years from the date of training. Keep them for a further 2 years after someone leaves. Show them to the employee or the Department for Transport on request.

Appoint a dangerous goods safety adviser

If you regularly consign, carry, pack, fill, load or unload dangerous goods, you must have a dangerous goods safety adviser (DGSA). Since 2022 this has included businesses that only consign goods. The adviser can be a trained member of staff or an outside consultant.

You do not need a DGSA if any of these apply:

• you carry dangerous goods only occasionally, as a breakdown recovery business might
• the goods are in limited quantities or small loads
• you move them a very short distance by road, such as between buildings on an industrial estate
• you use private vehicles
• carrying, loading or unloading dangerous goods is not one of your main or secondary activities

Your DGSA monitors compliance, advises on safe carriage, checks that staff are trained, investigates accidents and breaches, and reports incidents. The adviser must also write an annual report on your dangerous goods activities, following ADR chapter 1.8.3.3. A DGSA certificate covers named transport modes and classes and lasts 5 years.

Keep the goods secure

ADR also has security rules to stop dangerous goods being taken by criminals or terrorists. You must only hand dangerous goods to carriers who have been properly identified and secure any place where they are stored temporarily. Drivers and crew must carry photo ID, and staff must have security awareness training. For high consequence dangerous goods, you must also adopt and follow a transport security plan. In Great Britain, the Department for Transport enforces the security rules.

Report serious incidents

If you take part in filling, loading, carrying or unloading dangerous goods, you must report any serious incident to the Department for Transport. An incident is serious if it causes any of these:

• a death, or an injury that keeps someone off work for at least 3 consecutive days, in hospital for at least a day, or in intensive medical treatment
• property or environmental damage estimated at more than £50,000, not counting the vehicle or the road
• an emergency response with an evacuation or a road or railway closure of at least 3 hours
• a loss, or immediate risk of loss, of goods above the amounts for their transport category

Any loss involving infectious substances (class 6.2) or radioactive material (class 7) must be reported, whatever the amount. For other goods, the reporting amounts are:

Enforcement and penalties

In Great Britain, the Health and Safety Executive, the Department for Transport (through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) and the police enforce the rules on the road. Roadside spot checks can lead to fixed penalties. More serious breaches are prosecuted as offences under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.