Introduction to the carriage of dangerous goods

Carrying goods by road or rail involves the risk of traffic accidents. If the goods carried are dangerous, there is also the risk of an incident, such as spillage of the goods, leading to hazards such as fire, explosion, chemical burn or environmental damage.

Most goods are not considered sufficiently dangerous to require special precautions during carriage. Some goods, however, have properties which mean they are potentially dangerous if carried.

Dangerous goods are liquid or solid substances and articles containing them, that have been tested and assessed against internationally-agreed criteria - a process called classification - and found to be potentially dangerous (hazardous) when carried. Dangerous goods are assigned to different Classes depending on their predominant hazard.

There are regulations to deal with the carriage of dangerous goods, the purpose of which is to protect everyone either directly involved (such as consignors or carriers), or who might become involved (such as members of the emergency services and public). Regulations place duties upon everyone involved in the carriage of dangerous goods, to ensure that they know what they have to do to minimise the risk of incidents and guarantee an effective response.

Carriage of dangerous goods by road or rail is regulated internationally by agreements and European Directives, with biennial updates of the Directives take account of technological advances. New safety requirements are implemented by Member States via domestic regulations which - for GB - directly reference the technical agreements.