Action on transport of lower-risk limited quantities of dangerous goods
The Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail is set to be updated to reduce the burden associated with transporting low-risk items, while also bringing it into line with new United Nations requirements.
The changes will be effective from July 1 and compulsory from July 1, 2019, after transport ministers approved the updated version 7.6 of the Code in May.
National Transport Commission (NTC) chief executive Paul Retter says one of the key changes includes simplifying transport of lower-risk limited quantities of dangerous goods.
“Operators who transport low-risk dangerous goods in limited quantities such as household cleaning products, perfumes and cosmetics will no longer be compelled to abide by overly burdensome labelling and marking requirements, for example,” Retter said.
The United Nations updates the Transport of Dangerous Goods Model Regulations every two years and recently signed off on the 20th round of changes.
“The changes approved by ministers on 18 May 2018 will ensure the Code aligns more closely with United Nations Regulations,” Retter says.
Other changes include exempting mobile processing units (MPUs) from the Code to remove duplicate requirements in other laws, as long as the MPU is authorised within each jurisdiction to operate. MPUs are vehicles designed to take raw explosive materials to mine sites where the explosive will be manufactured and used.
According to the NTC, States and territories have committed to amending their local laws to align with making the changes from version 7.6 of the Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail to their local laws.
The National Transport Commission is responsible for the maintenance of the model legislation for the land transport of dangerous goods in Australia.
Version 7.6 of the Code will be available on the NTC website in the coming weeks.