The Dangerous Goods in Harbour Areas Regulations 2016 (DGHAR) contain a set of safety provisions aimed at safeguarding ports against major accidents involving dangerous goods. The instrument revokes the Dangerous Substances in Harbour Regulations 1987 (DSHAR). DGHAR modernises and simplifies DSHAR, removing redundant and superseded sections while retaining proportionate protections.
The Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations were originally introduced in 1987 following an oil tanker explosion in Bantry Bay, Ireland in 1979. The regulations aimed to reduce the risk of such accidents by co-ordinating activities between ship and shore. They contained various provisions relating to the storage, handling, loading, unloading and transport of dangerous substances in harbour areas. ‘Dangerous substances’ in this context refers to materials that are, for example, explosive, flammable, toxic, corrosive, infectious or radioactive.
During 2014 and 2015 HSE undertook a review of DSHAR as part of its response to the Red Tape Challenge. The review found that many sections of DSHAR were redundant, duplicated by other legislation, or no longer in line with modern working practices or technologies. The redundant sections included provisions on marking and navigation of vessels, handling and storage of dangerous substances, dangerous liquid substances in bulk, and packaging and labelling of dangerous substances. These sections no longer appear in the new regulations.
