ADR instructions

Safe transport of dangerous goods. Safely.

General

The United Nations has concluded the ADR Agreement on the carriage of dangerous goods by road in Europe. The international, generally accepted agreement determines under what conditions and regulations dangerous goods may be transported between the countries which have ratified the agreement. The purpose of the agreement is to increase transport safety and to determine the duties and responsibilities of the involved parties. The regulations deal with, for instance, transported goods, documents, means of transport and drivers.

In Finland the legislation governing the transport of dangerous goods is mainly based on the international agreement on the carriage of dangerous goods by road (ADR). The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications is the body responsible for overseeing and managing the supervision of the implementation of this law and its provisions. The law is applied to the transport of dangerous goods by road, rail, air and ship.

The consigner's responsibilities

The consigner is responsible for the fact that the dangerous goods to be transported are classified, packed and the packing is marked and delivered for transport in accordance with the Act on Transport of Dangerous Goods and statutes and regulations enacted on the basis of the above Act.

A consigner of dangerous goods may only deliver for transport consignments which comply with the regulations.

In addition, the consigner shall in particular:

1. ensure that the dangerous goods are classified in accordance with the regulations and that they may be transported by road;
2. provide required information to the carrier to effect the transport, a required freight bill or corresponding document and other documents, such as permits, approvals, notifications and certificates;
3. only use approved packaging and containers, which are suitable for transport of the dangerous goods in question and which have been marked in accordance with the regulations;
4. comply with demands concerning the shipment method and shipment restrictions;
5. ensure that empty, uncleaned tanks which have not been emptied of gases, and that empty, uncleaned vehicles used for bulk goods transports and large and small containers are marked correctly and that they have the correct labels and that empty, uncleaned tanks are closed and that they are as leak-proof as when loaded.

Consignee's responsibilities

The consigner shall not refuse to accept delivery barring an imperative reason. The consignee shall in addition ensure after unloading of the goods that the requirements contained in the regulations concerning the consignee have been fulfilled.

The consignee shall in particular:

1. Take care of cleaning of the vehicles and containers as provided by the regulations and of the removal of risk factors of the transported substance;
2. ensure that the completely emptied, cleaned containers and containers from which the risk factors of the transported goods have been removed and other tanks than those of tank vehicles no longer have visible labels or orange plates.

Written safety instructions

In case of an accident or emergency during transport written safety instructions shall be easily accessible in the vehicle cabin.

The carrier shall give these instructions to the vehicle crew before the start of the transport and in a language that each crew member is capable of understanding and reading. The carrier shall make sure that crew members understand these instructions and know how to act accordingly.

The vehicle crew members shall before the start of the transport find out about the transported dangerous goods and read the directives contained in the instructions in case of an accident or emergency.

Packaging

The technical requirements of packages and containers used for the transportation of dangerous goods are governed by the Act on Transport of Dangerous Goods' paragraph 13 a and a ministerial decree enacted on the basis of the above Act.

Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA)

The obligation to appoint a DGSA is regulated by decree 274/2002 including subsequent changes.

The operator shall itself determine on the basis of the above statutes whether the company shall appoint a DGSA.

The DGSA shall have a valid certificate of a DGSA degree. Examinations to obtain the degree are organized by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi).

Transpoint has trained and appointed DGSAs for each profit centre.

Additional information

Further information on DGSAs is available from, for instance: Trafi website. Additional information is also available from Transpoint sales personnel and DGSAs in customer service positions.

Trafi website

Additional information on ADR transports is available from, for instance: On the website of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Additional information on ADR transports is also available from VR TRANSPOINT sales personnel and DGSAs.

Ministry of Transport and Communications' website