There’s an important deadline fast approaching for companies involved in the transportation of dangerous cargo in the United Kingdom. From the 31st of December 2022, any company undertaking that transports, consigns, fills, packs, loads, or unloads dangerous goods must appoint a Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA).
The decision on whether to train existing staff or contract a 3rd party DGSA is the responsibility of the employer. Whatever the case, the DGSA must have both the time and the resources to undertake these responsibilities fully. As such, large, complex operations over multiple sites may require more than one DGSA.
What Are a DGSA’s Responsibilities?
Essentially, a DGSA’s primary responsibility is to prevent risks associated with the transportation of dangerous goods. This pertains specifically to risks to people, property and the environment and includes:
- Overseeing compliance with the guidelines that govern the transportation of dangerous goods and providing advice on their carriage
- Preparation of a yearly performance report about the carriage of dangerous goods
- Investigation of regulation infringements or accidents and report preparation
- Overseeing training provision & advice for other staff
- Reporting of accidents and incidents to the Department for Transport (DfT)
It’s important to note that a DGSA’s responsibilities only relate to travel by road, rail or inland waterway, and they’re not expected to oversee procedures relating to the transportation of dangerous goods by air or sea.
Who Must Appoint a DGSA?
As previously stated, any company that consigns, packs, loads, unloads or fills dangerous goods on a regular basis via inland waterway, rail or road must appoint a DGSA. These rules apply in the United Kingdom. However, similar (but separate) legislation has been introduced to govern these procedures in Northern Ireland.
The approaching deadline is something that organisations need to be mindful of, particularly if training existing staff to become DGSAs. Qualification requires vocational training certification and written exams, which are held in March, June and September each year. The marking of these exams takes around 8 weeks, so enough time needs to be accounted for it.
We’re currently in a transition period for the requirements prescribed by the relevant dangerous goods carriage regulations, which ends on the 1st of January 2023, so it’s imperative that you take the necessary action in good time. For information on how to go about doing that, visit the UK government website.
Are You Prepared For the December 31st Deadline?
Meeting the December deadline for appointing a DGSA is not optional, so if you’re an organisation that needs to, act now, as you’ll otherwise not be compliant. There are exceptions to the rule, which can also be found on the government website link above, so be sure to check which rules apply to you and your business.
At HGVC, we offer industry-leading HGV licence acquisition programs across our Nationwide network of training centres. Regardless of the size and scale of your requirement, we can cater for all of your driver training needs, thanks also to our highly experienced trainers.
To find out more about HGVC and how we do things, why not take a browse around our website, where you’ll find everything you want to know. Alternatively, to talk to us directly, simply call 0330 818 8888, and a member of our team will be happy to discuss your needs.
