Transporting Dangerous Substances

More and more hazardous gases and liquids are being used in processing and manufacturing.

For a number of industries, the usage of hazardous gases and liquids are an everyday occurrence. With these types of substances comes a high risk of accidents and incidents that could be potentially harmful and devastating, and to help mitigate these risk factors, strict regulations are enforced to ensure the handling, distribution and usage of hazardous materials.

EU legislation has been introduced across Europe to ensure consistent legal requirements are regulations are implemented and enforced. One such regulation is the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) that was brought into control the use and storage of dangerous substances.

There are also UK national regulations for the transportation of hazardous substances and goods which are required by the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009, as amended by The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2011. This regulation is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

When transporting hazardous substances which can be harmful to people and the environment, there are a range of legal requirements that need to be adhered to for the transportation and haulage by rail and road which have been agreed and are regulated globally and by European directives.

Each dangerous substance will be given a hazard classification ranging from classification number 1 to 9. Hazardous substances can include as acids, flammable gases, flammable liquids and explosive substances. A number of products that are produced for consumers such as paints and pesticides are also transported and fall within these regulations. There are also strict regulations stipulating the amount of hazardous substance being transported, used and stored at a given time. This is based on a substance’s flash point and ignition temperature and the size of the load that can be carried, used and stored at one time. Incidents and accidents during transport can include road accidents and leaks and spillages which could possibly cause an explosion, fire and damage to the environment.

Since July 2005 tighter security regulations have also been implemented for road and rail, as well as all modes of transport to mitigate risk of sabotage, hijacking of dangerous materials and terrorism risk. There are two levels of security regulations for road and rail transportation; a generic level of risk and a higher risk level for substances which could be misused for terrorist and criminal activity and which could cause mass destruction and casualties.

We provide a range of secure storage solutions for dangerous and hazardous substances. More information on our hazardous substance cupboards here, our pesticide and agrochemical liquid storage cupboards here, our petroleum and flammable liquid cupboards here and our gas bottle storage storage cages here. We also provide a range of cylinder handling equipment here.