ChemRegs Newsletter – October 2022

Freight containers – potential worker exposure

HSE has published a research report looking at potential worker exposure to hazardous atmospheres at ports and distribution centres.

Approximately 63.2 million tonnes of goods were handled by UK ports in 2015 in freight containers. These containers are opened on arrival by workers at Great Britain’s ports and distribution centres around the country.

Freight containers are confined spaces, which means they have limited or no ventilation in transit and hazardous atmospheres can build up inside. This depends on the contents, their condition, and the length of time in transit. Some hazardous atmospheres have the potential to harm workers if breathed in. For example, they may contain toxic substances such as fumigants and carbon monoxide, or have dangerously low oxygen levels. Potential harm includes asphyxiation and ill health.

HSE carried out the research which involved visits to six ports and two distribution centres by HSE scientists.

The report found that workers who open or enter freight containers could be exposed to dangerously low oxygen levels or to hazardous substances in the air which have built up as a result of limited ventilation while they are sealed. This underlines the need for suitable and sufficient risk assessment when conducting this type of work.

You can read the full research report here.

HSE also has downloadable leaflet ‘Safe Work in Confined Spaces‘, which helps to assess the risk of working within a particular confined space and put precautions in place for the work to be carried out safely.

Remote delivery of Dangerous Goods Driver Training – authorisation extended

The Dangerous Goods Unit at DfT have extended the remote delivery of Dangerous Goods Driver Training authorisation. The new authorisation (no. 1013) will come into effect from 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2024 unless withdrawn or otherwise revoked, and the existing authorisation 1007 remains in place until the end of 31 December 2022.

The authorisations allow dangerous goods driver training, including theory and individual practical elements required under ADR chapter 8.2, to be delivered remotely to candidates applying for or refreshing an ADR Driver Training Certificate.

This extension is intended to provide flexibility in order to help to continue to provide Dangerous Goods training to drivers, with in person delivery still an option.

Existing authorisation no. 1007 – Remote delivery of dangerous goods driver training extension: authorisation 1007 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

New authorisation no. 1013 – Remote delivery of dangerous goods driver training extension: authorisation 1013 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Discussions have also been underway at ADR/RID Joint Meeting level to explore the possibility of introducing e-learning, along with other types of delivery methods e.g. remote delivery, online training etc. For more details on the latest discussions, please refer to:

• Report of the Joint Meeting of the RID Committee of Experts and the Working Party on the Transport of Dangerous Goods on its autumn 2022 session (Secretariat) | UNECE (section IX, paragraph B)
• INF.4 – Report on the first meeting of the informal working group on e-learning (IRU/Germany).

Guidance on Waste Classification and Assessment (WM3) – Online User Survey 2022

The UK’s official guidance on the classification and assessment of waste is a document known as ‘WM3’. Classifying waste includes selecting appropriate waste codes and, where applicable, describing the waste’s hazardous properties following an assessment.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has commissioned a UK-wide survey to find out how WM3 can be made more user friendly for both waste producers and contractors. It aims to try and understand:

• How WM3 is currently used by organisations
• How organisations that do not use WM3 approach waste classification
• How the guidance can be made more user-friendly to different user groups, regardless of whether they use WM3.

The survey is being funded and managed by Natural Resources Wales on behalf of the UK’s environmental regulators; the Environment Agency (EA), Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), and Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

Since July 2022 various organisations and companies of all sizes and across different sectors have been contacted by phone to take part in the voluntary survey. It has now been opened up as an online survey for anyone to participate.

The survey will collect basic information about the way in which you classify your waste. This will include the processes you have in place to classify waste; if you ever use the WM3 guidance (and if so, how?), and to what extent your waste contractor(s) assist with waste classification. You will also be asked if you currently have any issues or difficulties with waste classification, and how you think the process could be made easier and the guidance more user friendly.

The survey closes on 11 November 2022 and is available here.

For more information on anything in this Newsletter, please contact us at info@chemregs.co.uk