How to decide if you need a dangerous goods safety adviser (DGSA) and what their role is.

Do you need to appoint a dangerous goods safety adviser (DGSA)?

You must appoint a DGSA if your business regularly transports, packs, fills, loads or unloads dangerous goods. This applies to goods sent by:

  • road
  • rail
  • inland waterway

DGSAs are not expected to monitor procedures related to the carriage of dangerous goods by sea or air.

There are exemptions to the requirement to appoint a DGSA, depending on how often your business handles dangerous goods and in what quantities.

Exemptions from the requirement to appoint a DGSA

In Great Britain and Northern Ireland, there are some exemptions from the requirement to appoint a DGSA.

The exemption applies if:

  • a business is involved in the carriage of dangerous goods in quantities per transport unit that are smaller than those referred to in 1.1.3.6, 1.7.1.4, and chapter 3.3, 3.4, and also in chapter 3.5 of ADR 2021.
  • if the main or secondary activities of the undertaking are not the carriage or related loading or unloading of dangerous goods, but the undertaking does occasionally engage in the national carriage or the related loading or unloading of dangerous goods posing little danger or risk of pollution
  • if that carriage operation complies with the conditions specified in the Road Derogation 11 (RO-bi-UK-1) The crossing of public roads, as set out in the Carriage of Dangerous Goods: Approved Derogations and Transitional Provisions document 2012
  • if that carriage operation complies with the conditions specified in 1.1.3

The exemptions do not apply to international carriage.

Consignors only exemption

The rules that applied until 31 December 2018 said that you did not have to appoint a DGSA if you only acted as a consignor of dangerous goods. However, this has now changed and businesses that only act as consignors have until 31 December 2022 to appoint a DGSA.

This does not apply if you have a derogation from DfT

The current national legislation containing this requirement is the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 as amended.

Separate but similar legislation has been made available in Northern Ireland.

Whom to appoint as a DGSA

It is up to the employers to decide whether to train one of their own staff to be a DGSA or to contract third parties to act as a DGSA.

The DGSA must have the time and resources to undertake their functions properly. A business that operates on several sites or deals with large or complex operations may need more than one DGSA.

Responsibilities of the DGSA

The responsibilities of the DGSA include:

  • monitoring compliance with the requirements governing the carriage of dangerous goods
  • advising undertakings on the carriage of dangerous goods
  • preparing an annual report about the performance of the undertaking in transporting dangerous goods
  • investigating any accidents or infringements of regulations and preparing reports
  • monitoring the provision of training and advice to other staff
  • reporting of incidents and accidents to the Department for Transport

You can find a full list of responsibilities in chapter 1.8.3.3.

DGSA training and certification

DGSAs must pass written examinations. On passing the examination a DGSA certificate, valid for 5 years, is issued specifying the mode(s) of transport (road, rail, inland waterway) and the classes of dangerous goods that the DGSA is qualified to monitor and advise on.

A DfT approved examination and certificate-issuing regime applies throughout the United Kingdom. DGSA certificates are mutually recognised in all EU member states and in any non-EU states, which are signatories to RID, ADR or ADN.

There is no legal requirement for DGSAs to undertake training, and DfT does not keep a list of recommended DGSA training providers. The form and type of training undertaken is a matter for the individual candidate and the employer to decide, based on the candidate’s knowledge and experience.

Training courses for DGSAs are run by independent providers and trade associations and course lengths vary from 2 to 5 days. They are not required to be approved by the DfT. The fees charged are a matter for the training provider.

Obtaining a DGSA certificate

The DfT has appointed the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) as its agent to organise, set and mark the examinations and issue the DGSA certificates in the UK. A DGSA certificate is issued to a candidate on successfully passing DfT approved examinations.

The examinations relate to one or more specific modes of transport – road, rail or inland waterway – covering the classes of dangerous goods and would be recognised by all countries that have signed up to RID, ADR or ADN.

Information on the examination syllabus, location and dates of the examinations, costs and general advice for candidates and training providers is available from SQA.


Scottish Qualifications Authority
DGSA Team
The Optima Building
58 Robertson Street
Glasgow
G2 8DQ

Tel: 0345 270 0123

dgsa@sqa.org.uk

Renewing a DGSA certificate

A DGSA certificate must be renewed every 5 years. This is done by the holder passing relevant examinations, which can be taken in the last year of the certificate’s validity.

The new certificate will be valid for 5 years from the date of expiry of the previous certificate.

DGSA certificates are only issued or revalidated after successful completion of the approved examinations and not in relation to previous knowledge or experience in the field of the transport of dangerous goods.

It is the view of the UK competent authority that certificate holders seeking to revalidate their certificates must successfully undertake the case study specified in 1.8.3.12.4 (b) as part of the revalidation process.

Renewal should not be left until the last minute – candidates will receive their certificates no later than 8 weeks after the exam date.

Additional guidance available

European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR)

Convention Concerning International Carriage by Rail (RID)

Emergency Action Code 2021

Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations

Current legal texts

  • European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road. The Agreement is more commonly known as “ADR” (from Accord Européen Relatif au Transport International des Marchandises Dangereuses par Route): Section 1.8.3 Safety Adviser plus any corrigendum documents.
  • Annex I of the Convention Concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF, from Convention de l’Organisation Intergouvernmentale pour les Transports Internationaux Ferroviaires. It is more commonly known as RID). Annex I is the Regulations Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail.
  • European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways (ADN)
  • The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (CDG 2009) as amended by The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2011.
  • Carriage of Dangerous Goods: Approved Derogations and Transitional Provisions 2012.
  • Dangerous Goods Emergency Action Code List 2019.

Source Department for Transport