As you may know SITPRO have now issued a revised version of the ubiquitous 4-Part Dangerous Goods Note to a resounding chorus of “so what?”
It has made some fairly minor changes to the form although one of the most important changes is to the order of presentation of some of the information. The layout is essentially the same but software packages which complete the form will need to be modified. Companies who already use the SITPRO DGN can continue to use up their old stocks as long as the information is presented in the correct order. There is no need to throw old stocks away but as new forms are bought in they should move over to the 2009 revised design as soon as possible.
An unnecessary burden?
The problem is that although SITPRO are very strict about the form and how it is completed, many companies do not bother with it at all using their own form or some document provided by their software supplier, so why should this be of any interest?
To quote from SITPRO’s own webpage:
“Dangerous goods transported solely within the United Kingdom are subject to the provisions of ADR /RID or the IMDG Code as appropriate. Thus the carrier is required to ensure that a transport document accompanies the consignment of most dangerous goods and it is the duty of the consignor to ensure that it is made available. Further the consignor and carrier are required to keep a written record of the information contained within the transport document and to retain it for 3 months (for road/rail journeys immediately and for sea journeys from 2012).”
Much of the information which appears on the DGN is mandatory under the three transport modes which apply in the UK so the SITPRO Dangerous Goods Note is simply the best way to ensure that consignors are meeting the regulations. Adopting the SITPRO DGN and the discipline involved in correctly completing it will help companies to meet their legal obligations.
We strongly recommend that everybody uses the SITPRO Dangerous Goods Note, if you want to check out the modified design (or buy some) then please visit the Hazchem Website If you already use them then please get in touch when you need to update.
We’d be welcome to hear your comments on this, so please get in touch.
