Department for Transport Publishes new Dangerous Goods by Road Exception

Department for Transport Publishes new Dangerous Goods by Road Exception

The Department for Transport has updated the approved derogations, transitional provisions and exemptions for the carriage of dangerous goods by road.

Last updated in April 2020, the derogations have introduced a new exception covering the transport of medical gases by healthcare workers. No longer must healthcare workers comply with the requirement of ADR 8.1.4 (the carriage of fire-fighting equipment) when carrying medical gases, set up to administer to patients.

These gases include:

• UN1072 (compressed oxygen)
• UN1070 (nitrous oxide)
• UN3156 (compressed gas, oxidising, n.o.s (Entox))
• UN3538 (articles containing non-flammable, non-toxic gas)

The exception stipulates that no fire extinguishers need to be carried for UK transport, so long as the vehicle is carrying no more than six cylinders containing medical gases, alongside a regulator, hose and mask to supply a patient. Measures must also be taken to prevent leakage, and healthcare workers should be appropriately trained in health and safety, and a risk assessment carried out.

The exception is just the latest in UK derogations for the transport of dangerous goods, and the announcement once again highlights the importance of full awareness of the UK specific regulations, as there are a number of clauses which can simplify transport for different sectors and industries.

UK specific regulations and exceptions are covered in our Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, and Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road & Sea training courses, and as part of our Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor Training. Our training is designed to equip delegates with all of the knowledge they need to pack, prepare and ship dangerous goods within and from the UK.

If you require a copy of the derogations, or would like more information on the change, please do get in touch via Live Chat on the right hand corner of our web page, or email [email protected]. More information and regular updates are also available on our LinkedIn page.

The Vehicle Certification Agency from the Department for Transport recently ran a dangerous goods update seminar. You can read a write up from that event here.