Gefahrgutverordnung

Anyone who transports, moves, ships or receives dangerous goods operates within a dense network of national and international regulations. The term hazardous goods regulation encompasses these frameworks, even though in practice they consist of several mode-of-transport-specific rulebooks rather than a single piece of legislation.

Which frameworks apply to which mode of transport?

Depending on whether dangerous goods are transported by road, rail, inland waterway or air, different regulations apply. Road transport is governed by ADR (Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route), rail by RID, inland waterways by ADN, and sea freight by the IMDG Code. Air transport is subject to the IATA-DGR regulations. In Germany, these international agreements are transposed into national law through implementing ordinances such as the GGVSEB (Gefahrgutverordnung Straße, Eisenbahn und Binnenschifffahrt) for road, rail and inland waterways, or the LuftVO for air transport. Anyone operating multimodally must be familiar with and comply with the applicable framework for each individual segment.

What do the regulations cover in detail?

The frameworks first define which substances and articles are classified as dangerous goods at all. Classification is based on hazard classes – ranging from explosive substances and flammable liquids through to radioactive material. On this basis, requirements are established for the following areas:

• Packaging and labeling: Dangerous goods must be transported in approved packaging and marked with defined hazard labels, markings and placards.
• Accompanying documents: Waybills and dangerous goods declarations must be completed accurately and correctly before a consignment leaves the facility.
• Training and qualification: Drivers, shippers and employees involved require specific training certificates depending on their activity; for certain quantities, the appointment of a dangerous goods safety adviser is required by law.
• Vehicle equipment and securing obligations: Depending on the transport unit, requirements apply regarding fire extinguishers, protective equipment and load securing.

What matters when implementing requirements in warehouse and logistics operations?

The distinction from hazardous substances law is important in practice: hazardous substances law governs the handling and storage of dangerous substances within the company, while dangerous goods law governs their transport. However, the two areas can overlap – for example, when dangerous goods are temporarily stored in a warehouse before being dispatched.

A key issue is the allocation of responsibilities: shippers, freight forwarders and warehouses each carry their own clearly defined obligations. Who assumes which obligation should be governed by contract. Equally important is keeping up to date: most frameworks are revised in two- to three-year cycles. Changes must be incorporated promptly into processes, training materials and IT systems. WMS and TMS systems can help maintain dangerous goods master data and perform automated plausibility checks during order creation – whether this is sufficient in individual cases or whether additional manual checking processes are required depends on system maturity and the nature of the goods.