Australia updates ADG

AUSSIE RULES

AUSTRALIA • ADG 7.7 TAKES EFFECT NEXT MONTH AND PROMISES TO MAKE LIFE A LOT EASIER FOR THOSE SHIPPING DANGEROUS GOODS TO AND FROM AUSTRALIA

THE LATEST REVISION to the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (ADG), edition 7.7, comes into full effect on 1 October, one year after it entered into force. While the ADG Code is the responsibility of the National Transport Commission (NTC), it has to be enacted in law by each of the country’s states and territories.

ADG 7.7 is an important update; not only does it bring in a raft of amendments from the 21st revised edition of the UN Model Regulations, it also includes some significant changes that remove Australia-specific provisions and align ADG more closely with the international provisions, as reflected in the modal rulebooks. This will remove some awkward differences that have made trade in dangerous goods with Australia a difficult proposition in terms of compliance.

ADG 7.7 also includes a lot of housekeeping changes, with updates to contact details and external references, the removal of outdated references, editorial and technical corrections and an improvement in the layout. The adoption of some changes from the UN have also necessitated consequential amendments at various points throughout the text.

LIMITED QUANTITIES One of the most significant changes is in the way ADG addresses dangerous goods in small quantities. The provisions have been much simplified and are now generally in line with international regulations. For instance, a transport document is no longer required for dangerous goods packed in limited quantities (LQ); any documentation for the load must merely include the words “contains dangerous goods packed in limited quantities”.

ADG 7.7 inserts a requirement that the consignor must advise the prime transport contractor, in a form that is readily accessible during transport, of the gross mass of LQ in the consignment or, if the LQ includes more than 2,000 kg/l of any single UN number, the UN number, proper shipping name and aggregate quantity for that UN number. The placard threshold is 8 tonnes gross mass, or if the LQ includes more than 2,000 kg/l of any single UN number. New placarding rules apply where the load includes both LQ and fully regulated dangerous goods.

As a result of the adoption of the international system, ADG 7.7 no longer includes the particular provisions for ‘mixed packet’ (lower risk) dangerous goods, personal care products or concessional limited quantities.

PACKAGING AND TANKS Another alignment is found in 6.1.4.21, where the additional requirements for inner packagings filled in Australia have been removed. It should be noted, though, that all inner packagings, regardless of the location of filling, are required to meet UN performance tests and specifications and must be manufactured under a quality assurance programme. As a consequence, the provisions for the marking of inner packagings in 6.1.3.13 have been deleted.

Section 7.2.6 has been deleted completely; this dealt with the transport of nominally empty packagings. Instead, all packagings and receptacles that have contained dangerous goods and are not “free from dangerous goods” must be treated as if they still contain dangerous goods. In 4.1.1.11, it is noted that all empty packagings, including intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and large packagings, that have contained a dangerous substance, must be treated in the same

ADG 7.7 BRINGS AUSTRALIA CLOSER INTO LINE WITH

manner as a filled packaging, “unless adequate measures have been taken to nullify any hazard”. Similar provisions apply to portable tanks and multiple-element gas containers (in Chapter 4.2) and bulk containers (in Chapter 4.3). Marking, labelling and placarding provisions still apply, except for goods of Class 7.

The scope of 5.3.8.1 on the placarding of intermodal loads is expanded to include tanks and containers that are imported into Australia, emptied and then returned while still containing residues.

In addition, there is a new provision that ‘empty means of containment’ – which includes all types of packagings, containers and tanks – that contain residue of dangerous goods (other than Class 7) must be described on the transport document with the words “EMPTY UNCLEANED” or “RESIDUE LAST CONTAINED” before or after the dangerous goods description.

Section 7.2.5, which deals with empty and as yet unused pre-labelled packagings, has also been deleted. Instead, a new clause has been inserted in 5.1.3.3 to note that such packagings should be clearly identified as such on any transport documentation, outer packaging or the exterior of the cargo transport unit. This is to avoid inappropriate emergency response. Another reminder of that is included at 11.1.1.4.3(b). Indeed, Chapter 11.1 has been largely restructured, with several clauses removed to provide a better flow of information and to align with Chapter 5.4 of the UN Model Regulations.

More information on the ADG Code and the latest update can be found on the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) website, www.ntc.gov.au.