HSC CONSULTS FURTHER ON CARRIAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS

HSC press release: C034:03 - 22 July 2003

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has issued a consultation letter on proposed legislation concerning the carriage of dangerous goods in Great Britain. The letter asks those intending to respond to an HSC Consultative Document (CD) issued in June to take account of subsequent developments that will affect the proposed regulations on dangerous goods carriage.

The first development concerns a decision by the European Commission to defer implementation of parts of the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive (TPED) for certain items of pressure equipment. Consultees had been advised in the covering letter to the original CD that this might happen.

Secondly, the proposed regulations will also need to be amended to allow for the carriage of Vacuum-operated waste (VOW) tanks by rail and other minor changes made to RID (the international agreement on transport of dangerous goods by rail) to align it with ADR (the equivalent road transport agreement).

HSC believes the changes required to the proposed regulations should be minor and have limited impact on British industry but invites views from consultees. Consultees are asked to provide their views by 2 September 2003, in line with the deadline for comments on the original CD. This is intended to ensure that any delay to introducing the proposed regulations is kept to a minimum.

The new consultation letter can be accessed on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/consult/live.htm

The original CD, 'Proposals for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 200[ ]' (CD188), can be downloaded from the website at the same URL: www.hse.gov.uk/consult/live.htm

Notes to editors

1. The carriage of dangerous goods in Great Britain is governed by a complex legislative framework of regulations and approved documents made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

2. HSC published a CD on proposals for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations, which consolidate the existing framework of legislation, on 3 June 2003 (see HSC press notice C020:03).

3. The letter issued today complements the original CD by asking consultees to consider further developments that affect the proposals.

4. The European Commission (EC) Decision to defer implementing certain aspects of TPED concerns the lack of internationally-recognised construction standards for new pressure drums, bundles of cylinders and tanks used for the transport of dangerous goods.

5. The 2004 amendments to the 2003 text of RID (Règlements Internationales Relatif au Transport des Marchandises Dangereuses par Chemin de Fer) concern the inclusion of references to VOW tanks for use on the railway network. The changes were mainly to align RID with the Accord Européen Relatif au Transport International des Merchandises Dangereuses par Route (ADR). Implementation of these provisions is unlikely to significantly affect British Rail freight operators at this point in time, but could do so in the future.

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