All Forwarders Warned To Appoint DGSA

Following recent ADR legislation, all forwarders are legally required to appoint a Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor, if they have involvement in the movement of dangerous goods.

This includes ‘office only’ freight forwarders, that don’t physically handle the goods, which was a warning shared by BIFA (the British International Freight Association) in a recent BIFAlink publication.

The 2023 edition of ADR came into force on 1st January, and included a change that now requires parties that only consign dangerous goods, to appoint a DGSA.

BIFA outlined that previously exempted forwarders, who will effectively always be acting as consignors, or on behalf of a consignor, are now brought within the scope of the ADR regulations.

The article also stated “Under the UN system, the consignor is the party that causes the transport to take place. A party can consign on its own behalf, on behalf of another party, or under a contract of carriage”.

“Therefore, from now on, office only freight forwarders who neither pack, mark, label, load/unload, document or carry dangerous goods, but arrange for third parties to do so to their instructions, are responsible for appointing a DGSA (or establishing that a DGSA is in place).”

As part of the Evolution Group, our sister company – DGSA Service & Consultancy Limited – are able to provide this important functionality for you, where our Managing Director – Terry Goldspink – is the lead DGSA. For further information, please visit website https://dgsaservice.com/.

If you are unsure whether the law applies to your involvement with dangerous goods, then please contact us for clarification on 01642 440044 or via info@evolutionforwarding.com.