Safety of the transport of dangerous goods
Dangerous goods, such as explosives and chemicals, are transported as raw materials or finished products several times over their life cycles by road, rail, sea or air.
Goods that are risky to transport
A substance, solution, item, device or good that causes a risk of explosion, fire, infection or emission, is flammable, reactive, toxic or corrosive or creates dangerous reactions during transport, resulting in a risk to humans, the environment or property.
The dangerous goods classes page includes the transport risk classes, class warning labels and examples of substances and items belonging to the class.
Factors to consider when transporting dangerous goods
- The sender will classify the dangerous goods according to their risk level.
- The packer will pack the materials according to the danger classes. As a rule, the packaging type should be approved for transport and it should be equipped with the required labels and warning labels to identify the dangerous contents.
- Companies that transport, pack or load dangerous goods or are involved in other activities related to the safety of the transport of dangerous goods should have a person familiar with the specific requirements pertaining to the transport of dangerous goods, i.e. a so-called dangerous goods safety adviser.
- As a rule, the driver of the vehicle must possess an additional ADR licence, which entitles them to transport dangerous goods.
- The vehicle must have passed MOT and been deemed to be technically suitable for the transport of dangerous goods.
- The vehicle must be equipped with warning signs indicating the content, such as an orange sign, a label with a danger sign and class-specific warning labels.
- The shipment must include the waybill plus written safety instructions applicable to the load.
Transporting dangerous goods in Finland and abroad
The requirements pertaining to the transport of dangerous goods depend on the mode of transport.
| Mode of transport | Transport by sea | Transport by air | Transport by road | Transport by rail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global level | UN recommendations for the transport of dangerous goods | |||
| IMDG | ICAO-TI | |||
| European level | IMDG | ICAO-TI | ADR | RID |
| EU level | IMDG | ICAO-TI | Directive on the inland transport of dangerous goods | |
ADR Directive on the supervision of the transport of dangerous goods |
RID | |||
| Transportable pressure equipment directive | ||||
| National level | Act on the Transport of Dangerous Goods |
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Decree on the Transport of Dangerous Goods in Packaged Form by Sea IMDG |
Decree on the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air ICAO-TI |
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Regulation on the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road |
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Regulation on the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Rail |
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| Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Regulation: ADR licence and safety adviser test | ||||