The Carriage of Dangerous Goods & Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations, (CDG), implement the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road Regulations, commonly referred to as ADR, which stands for ‘Accord Dangereux Routier’.
The purpose of the regulations is to protect everyone who may be involved in an emergency incident involving transporting dangerous goods on the road, rail or by inland waterway. These regulations set out requirements to ensure businesses are authorised to:
These Regulations do not cover the use of the Channel Tunnel.
These Regulations also cover the carriage of Dangerous Goods and Transportable Pressure Equipment by Rail. For transport of Goods by Air, please refer to the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (see Links).
Transporting any goods by road, rail or inland waterway involves risk. If the load being transported is ‘dangerous’, there is a heightened risk of incidents, such as a collision or a chemical spillage, leading to hazards such as fire, explosions, chemical burns or environmental damage. Most countries across Europe are signed up to ADR and each of these countries implements safety measures through its own national legislation, thereby ensuring that dangerous goods transported by road can cross international borders freely. ADR has been in force since 1968 and is updated every 2 years to take technological advances into consideration.
The EU agreement is set out in 9 parts, where:
Dangerous goods are set out in classifications and include explosives, lithium batteries, flammable liquids and gases, toxic and infectious substances, radioactive materials and corrosive substances.
