Transporting dangerous goods: a shared responsibility

While operators and drivers must be properly licensed and permitted to safely transport dangerous goods, there is also a need for increased awareness among general road users on the risks posed by hazardous materials and potential incidents that can affect general road safety. Arrivealive.co.za offers some valuable insights.

Permits and licensing

The major requirements of the transportation of dangerous goods are, amongst others: duties of the operator, consignor, consignee and the driver; classification and certification of dangerous goods; training of drivers; relevant documents to be carried by the driver; dangerous goods inspectors; powers and duties of traffic officers in respect to dangerous goods regulation; and dealing with incidents and crashes involving dangerous goods transportation.

Without getting into specialised dangerous goods that require special permits (for example, cyanide), all dangerous goods vehicles need to be certified to carry dangerous goods and this must be displayed on the Operator Card for each vehicle and trailer.

All drivers of these vehicles must be over the age of 25 and have a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP – D classification), which must be renewed every two years. This renewal is dependent on the presentation of a dangerous goods certificate (renewable yearly) issued by a DoT-approved provider, as well as a valid medical certificate (renewable every two years).

Classification of dangerous goods

Dangerous goods are classified in nine classes listed in SANS 10228, with some categories further subdivided based on their properties or the risks they present. Each category is clearly defined by different risk hazard diamonds for easy visual recognition; some products may also present more than one risk.

Classification of dangerous goods according to the type of dangerous materials or items present: (1) Explosives; (2) Gases; (3) Flammable liquids; (4) Flammable solids; (5) Oxidising substances; (6) Toxic and infectious substances; (7) Radioactive material; (8) Corrosives; (9) Miscellaneous dangerous goods.

Any dangerous substance can pose a serious threat if handled incorrectly, although these threats may vary depending on factors like the type of substance and location of an incident. An incident near a waterway may pose different risks to one in a built-up area; similarly, while explosives can be very destructive within the blast radius, gases or toxic liquids may have a wider and longer-lasting effect.

Risks and awareness

Although dangerous goods driver medical certification is quite strict, some believe fatigue and general driver health are not adequately addressed throughout the industry, although things are improving in this regard. 

Another risk is the limited knowledge about dangerous goods among general road users. While many are aware that an “orange sign with some numbers on it” represents a dangerous substance, the lack of understanding of the particular goods being transported and associated risks is clearly displayed in driving behaviour around dangerous goods vehicles.

Dangerous goods vehicles should be more visible or identifiable. Very few people know the meaning of the orange diamond on the front of a dangerous goods vehicle, or the UN numbers on the dangerous goods signage. More education and awareness around the dangers of the various classes needs to be disseminated to the driving public. Awareness could be improved, for example, by handing out pamphlets at toll gates or service stations on all major routes.

A brief summary

Any operator transporting dangerous or hazardous goods should be in possession of the Emergency Response Guidebook, the TRH-11 Administrative Guidelines for registering abnormal vehicles and the appropriate Acts. Every driver should be trained and equipped to detect, manage, handle and respond to a dangerous goods spill (from an involved party perspective).

Every actual, near-miss or possible dangerous or hazardous goods collision should be properly, completely and professionally analysed – even where there are no major losses or fatalities. The knowledge and intelligence gained from near-misses can provide key learnings for the prevention or better management of more serious incidents.

Finally, dangerous goods legislation is very voluminous and quite intricate. It will be difficult to do more than create awareness with a summarised document, so it is critical is to provide ordinary motorists with a contact number, such as the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) National Call Centre (0861 400 800), or educate motorists to contact the operator number at the rear of the truck should the driver be driving negligently or recklessly. 

* This article has been adapted from information provided by transport experts on arrivealive.co.za.