Are you involved in the
loading, unloading, filling and/or carriage of dangerous goods
by road or rail? Whether
waste or product you may by required by law to
employ the services of a Dangerous Goods Safety adviser (D.G.S.A.).
What is D.G.S.A.?
D.G.S.A. is short for Dangerous Goods Safety adviser. If
your company is transporting goods by road or rail there is always
the element of risk. If the goods carried are dangerous (product
or waste) there is the risk of an incident such as spillage of
the goods and causing hazards such as fire, explosion, chemical
burns or environmental damage. To limit incidents and to
ensure that loads are safe, regulations outlining the need for
a D.G.S.A have been set in place by the Health and Safety Executive
to regulate the transport of dangerous goods. They place a duty
upon those involved in the
loading, unloading, filling and/or carriage of dangerous goods
to ensure that they know about the measures needed to minimise
the associated risks. Whatever your involvement - whether
you are going to send, carry or receive dangerous goods, you may
need to employ (or subcontract) a Dangerous Goods Safety adviser.
D.G.S.A. is a qualification in its own right and
you are not covered by any other qualification. It should be noted
that normal Health and Safety qualifications do not cover you.
If you are an employer involved in the transport
of dangerous goods by road or rail, the Carriage of Dangerous Goods
and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2007 may
require you to appoint a vocationally qualified safety adviser
- a D.G.S.A. Your D.G.S.A. should advise you on health, safety
and environmental matters in connection with the
loading, unloading, filling and carriage of dangerous
goods. Your D.G.S.A. should have been appointed from 31st December
1999.
What are the implications of not having
a D.G.S.A.?
It is your responsibility to have appointed a D.G.S.A.
if you are transporting hazardous materials over a certain threshold
limit. Many companies forget that
it's not just product that comes under these regulations but also
their waste. Spirechem consider it to be our duty to
ensure that our clients are aware of this law.
Who needs a D.G.S.A.?
Certain thresholds have been set to ascertain who
requires a D.G.S.A. These are dependent upon the quantities and
size of containers carried within various packing groups and the
nature of the products or waste. There are companies who offer
a D.G.S.A. service without auditing your organization. We would
encourage all clients to be careful when appointing a third party
company as you will still remain responsible if they do things
wrong.
How do I find out if we require a D.G.S.A.
and that we are adhering to the law?
The easiest way is to ask a qualified D.G.S.A. Spirechem
can arrange for one of our D.G.S.A.s to discuss matters with you.
Alternatively the Health and Safety Executive could offer you guidance.
What D.G.S.A. service can Spirechem offer
us?
Spirechem can be contracted to your company to ensure
that you are complying with the regulations and issue you with
a valid certificate to this effect. We would initially ascertain
your needs so that you are only paying for what you need. We would
then issue you with an annual contract. An extensive
(but not time consuming) audit would be undertaken by one of our
D.G.S.A.s to highlight any areas that need looking into further
(sample audit form available upon request). Following this
audit a report would be issued detailing which areas you would
need to address. We will help you in every way to ensure compliance
within the shortest time frame and carry out regular visits as
agreed at the initial stages to ensure compliance for the lifetime
of the contract. Payment would be spread throughout the year
by standing order.
What cover do Spirechem offer?
We are fully insured and offer a first class service.
Where can I find out more information on
D.G.S.A.?
We can arrange for one of our D.G.S.A.s to visit
with no obligation, to discuss any grey areas and to ascertain
your needs. You can also obtain information from the Health
and Safety Executive. A useful publication published by the HSE
is entitled ‘Are You Involved In The Carriage Of Dangerous
Goods By Road Or Rail?’. This gives information on all aspects
of the regulations.
Link to HSE document
What Next?
Why not arrange for one of our D.G.S.A.s to come
and visit you? We can discuss all of your requirements to
ensure that you are complying with the legislation. There is no
obligation, so you have nothing to lose.
Please complete an Enquiry
Form or give us a call on 01244 680700
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