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ADR Training
General Principles
Course structure:
Core
Packages
Classes 2,3,4,5,6,8 and 9
Tankers
The ADR training certificate (and photo ID) will arrive to your home address shortly after the course is completed and the exams are passed.
The ADR card is valid for five years. A refresher training course can be taken within the first four years of the ADR, this will be valid for five years from when you passed the examinations. If the refresher training is passed in the fifth year the new ADR that will be valid for five years, plus what was remaining on the original card.
Everyone involved in the carriage of dangerous goods must receive training, and carry photo ID. Other participants (fillers, packers, loaders, etc.) need dangerous goods awareness training.
ADR training must include:
General awareness training – a basic training course that makes drivers aware of the hazards and how to prevent incidents.
Safety training - this includes measure drivers take to ensure their own safety and that of the public.
Function specific training - undertaken at the operational centre, specific to vehicles, products and equipment.
Security training – recognising security risks and methods to reduce them.
Can dangerous goods be handled and transported without ADR? Yes, under the following circumstances:
Excepted quantities (very small amounts);
Limited quantities (small quantities in receptacles such as bottles);
Private use – retail items, and for flammable liquids a maximum of 60l per receptacle and 240l per vehicle;
Recovery – under supervision of an ADR holder to a safe place nearby;
Emergency – under instruction of authority;
Vehicle fuel – fixed tank limit of 1500l per vehicle and a trailer with a tank not exceeding 500l.
An ADR photo ID card must be carried by the driver when under regulations, and photo ID for all other handlers of dangerous goods.
The ADR agreement operates between 52 member states, through which goods can be transported in different modes:
Air
IATA - International Air Transport Association
ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organisation
Sea
IMDG - International Maritime Dangerous Goods
Rail
RID - The Regulation concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail
Road
ADR - Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road
CDG - Carriage of Dangerous Goods and the Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations
ADR rules govern transport between two or more member states of ADR and is an agreement between those states. CDG (domestic rules) apply with transport operations within the UK only.
The United Nations set out the Model Regulations, which is summarised in two large volumes known as the orange book. It takes a year for the ADR volumes to be written based on the orange books. Both volumes are revised every two years, the last ADR revision being 2025.
List of countries in ADR: Country information (Competent Authorities, Notifications) | UNECE
Vehicles that in scope of regulations must fully adhere to all the requirements for the vehicle (eg. markings and equipment) and the driver (eg. ADR card). Once all the dangerous goods have been removed (and in tankers this means cleaning and purging otherwise the tanker is still in scope but nominally empty), the vehicle ceases being in regulations. This means all the ADR equipment and documents are no longer needed.
Environment
Drivers must prevent dangerous goods contaminating the environment, especially drains and watercourses. Vehicles in scope must carry equipment to safely contain spillages, and all incidents must be reported. The mechanism for doing this forms part of driver training at a business on recruitment.
Waste
Dangerous goods wastes are in scope, and are described in section 75 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Except for hospitals, businesses and shops generating less than 500kg of waste per year, dangerous goods wastes have to be disposed of at authorised sites. Wastes cannot be collected from sites that have not registered with the Environment Agency. Notification of carriage of waste internationally is required through a Hazardous Waste Consignment Note.
Laws
The UK law consists of criminal law – these are offences against society, prosecuted by the state. The result of this may be fines, loss of licence and a custodial sentence. The HSE have the authority to prosecute over breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act, to which ADR is part. Civil law operates when a person or party suffers damage or loss. The result is compensation or injunctions.
Classification and Identification of Dangerous Goods
UN Number
This is a four digit number that identifies the dangerous substance or article. This could be a single entry (eg. phosphoric acid UN1805). Groups of similar substances or articles could be described by a single UN number (eg. flammable liquid, not otherwise specified (NOS), UN1993).
Packing Group
These indicate the level of danger of a substance or article. They are designated by roman numerals. PGII and II both mean packing group two. Packing groups don’t apply to classes 1, 2, 5.2, 6.2 and 7.
Classes
These indicate the hazard presented by the substance or article. There are 9 classes of dangerous goods. Class 1 (explosives) and Class 7 (radioactives) are specialist courses that are each one day courses with exams. These units can be stand alone ones.
Segregation of Dangerous Goods
Various dangerous goods react dangerously in the presence of other different dangerous goods (see classes for specific details). Suitable segregation is required. This can be achieved in five ways:
Separate vehicles
Partition as high as the load
Overpacking
Inert load separating the dangerous goods
0.8m air space separation
Security
It is essential that dangerous goods are prevented from being used by terrorists, so security is paramount. Drivers must not leak information regarding their loads to unauthorised people and be on the lookout for any suspicious behaviour. Depending on the load, the shipment may have a security plan in place. Training on this will be specific and from the haulier.
High consequence dangerous goods involve goods that pose a heightened risk – eg. 3000L of petrol in a tanker. Drivers carrying these loads follow the instructions on the card, specifically:
Lock all doors and windows if you have been stopped suspiciously by the police or DVSA.
Notify your operating centre of the stop.
Request ID from the police officer.
Phone 999 and notify them of the stop, details of goods on board and the ID of the officer.
Comply if it is genuine.
Parking and Supervision Rules
Some loads depending on the type and amount require supervision whilst parked up. This is designated by an S on the transport document. This requires the load to be supervised. Alternatively, the load may be left unsupervised provided that it is secured in:
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The secure depot or premises where loading and unloading takes place
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A secure vehicle park where the supervising attendant knows of the vehicle load and location
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A public or private vehicle park where the vehicle is not likely to be damaged by other vehicles eg. service station
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Open space away from public and dwellings where the public don’t pass or assemble.
Segregation
It is good practice to separate:
Corrosives and gas cylinders
Oxidisers and flammable dangerous goods
Explosives with any other dangerous goods
The law
UK law contains common law and statute law. Common law is unwritten and based on precedence set by judges over previous cases. Statute law is written law, which includes acts of parliament. Prosecution may be administered by either criminal law or civil law.
The health and safety at work act is a statute law.
A relevant section of the health and safety at work act states that all employees have a duty to take reasonable care for themselves and other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions whilst at work.
Multi modal operations
Multi modal is a common method of transporting dangerous goods, involving more than one mode of transport and therefore more than one set of regulations. If a load was to travel from Manchester to Paris, by road from Manchester to Dover, by sea from Dover to Calais, by rail from Calais to Paris and again by road from Paris to its destination, the following modes would have been followed during the journey:
Manchester to Dover
Road - ADR
Dover to Calais
Sea - IMDG
Calais to Paris
Rail - RID
Paris to consignee
Road - ADR
ISO freight containers tend to be the preferred method for multi modal operations, although any relevant vehicle could be used. ISO containers, including tanks, are a standardised size and are easily transferred between transport modes. They are secured to vehicles by means of at least four twist locks located, as a minimum one at each corner of the container.
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