Guidance

Dangerous goods safety advisers

Updated 2 January 2024

Dangerous goods safety advisers (DGSAs) help prevent the risks involved in the carriage of dangerous goods. This includes risks to people, property and the environment.   

Organisations must employ DGSAs to safely and correctly move dangerous goods to comply with the law.

Businesses that transport dangerous goods by road, rail or inland waterways on a regular basis must have a DGSA to:    

• consign dangerous goods    
• transport dangerous goods across the UK   
• pack or fill dangerous goods into appropriate packaging   
• load or unload dangerous goods cargo   

The current national legislation containing this requirement is set out in the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (CDG).

Role of DGSAs

The main role of a DGSA is to assess the risks of transporting dangerous goods and help prevent these risks for the organisation concerned.  

Other responsibilities include:  

• reporting incidents and accidents involving dangerous goods to the Department for Transport 
• monitoring compliance with the legal requirements governing the carriage of dangerous goods  
• providing advice on how to transport dangerous goods safely  
• investigating any accidents or infringements of regulations and keeping records of them through reports 
• monitoring the provision of training and advice to other staff  
• completing annual audit reports on the performance of their business or organisation

Reporting a dangerous goods incident

Use these forms to report an incident involving the carriage of dangerous goods:

• report a dangerous goods incident: rail

• report a dangerous goods incident: road

• report an dangerous goods incident: aviation

• MGN 242 (M+F) Format and procedures for reporting safety incidents: maritime

• notify the ONR about an incident involving Class 7 (nuclear) dangerous goods

Annual audit reports

ADR does not provide an audit template report, but all the information is contained in ADR Chapter 1.8.3.3. 

Members of the British Association of Dangerous Goods Professionals (BADGP) can use their audit report template.

For Class 7 dangerous goods (radioactive material), DGSAs can use the report template included in the Office for Nuclear Regulation DGSA guidance.

Employer responsibilities

Employers must:

• keep staff training records for a minimum of 6 years from the date of training
• make the records available on request to the employee or to the Department for Transport

If an employee leaves their employment, the employer must keep their training records for a further 2 years from the date the employment ended, in case of any subsequent issues arising. 

These requirements are set out in chapters 1.3.3 of the:

• Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, ADR
• RID – OTIF – Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail

Training and certification 

To become a DGSA, you must pass written examinations. You can find information on the exams, including costs, dates, advice for candidates and how to book, in the guide on how to book your DGSA exam.

There is no legal requirement to undertake formal training to become a DGSA. Training courses are run by independent providers and trade associations, with course lengths typically varying between 2 to 5 days. These courses do not need to be approved by DfT.  

Once you have qualified, you will be issued with a DGSA certificate that specifies the: 

• mode(s) of transport (road, rail, inland waterway) your qualification covers
• classes of dangerous goods you are qualified to monitor and advise on  

All DGSA certificates are valid for 5 years and are mutually recognised by all contracting parties – countries that are signatories to the regulations concerning the RID and ADR. 

If you are a DGSA advising Class 7 dangerous goods (radioactive material) transport duty holders, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) recognises the additional Class 7 training course based on the syllabi provided by the Radioactive Material Transport Users Committee (RAMTUC) as relevant good practice.

Get added to the DGSA list

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) publishes a list of qualified dangerous goods safety advisers.

See this guidance for the list of DGSAs and a link to apply to join the list.

To apply you will need your:

• candidate number
• certificate expiry date

Renewing DGSA certificates  

DGSA certificates must be renewed every 5 years. You must pass the relevant mandatory DGSA examinations within the final year of your certificate’s validity.

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

We recommend that you do not leave renewing your certificate until the last minute, as extensions to expired certificates will not be granted.   

DGSA exemptions 

You may be exempt from appointing a DGSA if: 

• your organisation transports dangerous goods in quantities per transport unit that are smaller than those referred to in:

  • ADR chapter  1.1.3.6
  • ADR chapter  1.7.1.4
  • ADR chapter  3.3
  • ADR chapter  3.4
  • ADR chapter  3.5
• your main or secondary activities are not the carriage or related loading or unloading of dangerous goods 
• the carriage operation complies with the conditions specified in ADR chapter 1.1.3 
• the 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 CDG derogations – this exemption only applies to domestic carriage

Emergency action code list

Emergency action codes tell the emergency services what sort of dangerous goods a vehicle is carrying, so they can deal safely with any issues.

Download a copy of dangerous goods emergency action code list.