Truck and Track Spring 2026 www.truckandtrack.com 60 DANGEROUS GOODS It is a legal requirement if you are involved in the transport of dangerous goods to appoint a Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA). This obligation covers those undertaking the roles of packing, loading, unloading, filling or consigning dangerous goods for transport. There are some exemptions to this, including those for “Limited Quantities” and “Small Loads” but, even then, it can be beneficial to have access to a specialist to ensure that operations are kept out of the scope of the full regulations (ADR for road, RID for rail). DGSA’s can be employed members of staff or a third-party consultant. The responsibilities of a DGSA 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. Training and the Exam Typically, to initially qualify as a DGSA, candidates undertake a 5-day training course in the preceding week to the published exam dates. There are, in fact, a minimum of 3 exams that need to be passed to qualify and they are all taken on the same day. The “Core” and “All Classes” modules are mandatory and candidates will need to take at least one transport module: Road, Rail or Inland Waterways. The exam itself has been administered by SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) for many years, although the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has recently taken on the overall responsibility for the DGSA qualification. As a Government Agency, the scope of its activities also includes MOT tests, Driver and Operator Licences, HGV and Bus Driver qualifications, vehicle recalls and roadside vehicle checks etc. This DGSA exams are taken in person at venues across the UK. They are held on specified dates throughout the year and are now applied for via the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods pages at www.gov.uk (search “Book a dangerous goods safety adviser exam”). Here, you will also find the prices for the exam, venues, scheduled dates and timelines for registering. The qualification is valid for 5 years and, depending on a DGSA’s experience and knowledge, some choose to take a refresher course before renewing, or indeed they self-learn. In 2025, the DfT conducted an in-depth survey primarily to determine how they could enhance the support they provide to DGSAs. In all, there were 292 respondents who took part in the survey, including 268 DGSAs. At the time this represented around 12% of the total cohort of DGSAs in the UK. However, although the response was low in number, it did throw up some interesting data. For example, the results indicated that around 55% of the DGSAs who responded were over 50 years of age! Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser Exam – Update Labeline’s Compliance Manager, Richard Shreeve, takes a look at the recent changes to the DGSA qualification Richard Shreeve
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