June 2026 Edition

ChemRegs Newsletter – June 2026

New EU Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) Inspection Rules

Delegated Directive (EU) 2025/1801 on uniform procedures for checks on the transport of dangerous goods by road became mandatory across Europe from 24 June 2026. The new rules supplement and tighten the existing ADR requirements for the road transport of dangerous goods.

The Directive updates European road safety standards by aligning checks for the transport of dangerous goods with the latest dangerous goods by road (ADR) regulations. It establishes a uniform EU-wide inspection checklist to assess vehicles, tanks, packagings, transport documentation, and safety equipment, and a three-tier risk classification for violations. 

Infringements are categorised by danger severity to determine penalties and whether a vehicle is immediately stopped:

  • Category I (High Risk). Serious breaches posing immediate threats (e.g., substance leaks, missing ADR certificates) requiring immediate vehicle stoppage
  • Category II (Medium Risk). Violations that demand immediate roadside correction (e.g., incorrect hazard labels, malfunctioning extinguishers)
  • Category III (Low Risk). Formal discrepancies or minor errors (e.g., incorrect font size on placards) that can be corrected at a later date

The Directive also extends the scope of responsibility along the entire logistics chain and explicitly identifies the specific safety obligations for all participants based on Chapter 1.4 of ADR i.e. consignors, carriers, consignees, loaders, packers, fillers, tank operators and unloaders. If a violation occurs (such as missing labelling on a package), it is easier to determine which party in the chain can be held liable. This principle of traceability is intended to promote compliance at every step and close loopholes.

For detailed legal text and requirements, you can review the full EUR-Lex Delegated Directive (EU) 2025/1801. 

Note – the Directive does not directly apply to Great Britain, as EU directives do not apply here post-Brexit. However, because the UK is an active signatory of the international ADR agreement, hauliers moving dangerous goods between the UK and the EU must comply with the underlying ADR standards. If you are moving dangerous goods within the EU (or transiting through member states), you are fully subject to this Directive.

Inclusion of SVHCs on the UK REACH Candidate List

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) acts as the regulatory agency for UK REACH, overseeing the manufacture, import, and use of chemicals in Great Britain.

Following a 6-week external consultation and consideration of responses on the identity or hazardous properties of the substances, HSE added the following 15 substances/groups of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) to the UK REACH Candidate List on 15 June 2026:

  • 2,2′,6,6′-tetrabromo-4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol (TBBPA)
  • 2,2-bis(bromomethyl)propane-1,3-diol (BMP); 2,2-dimethylpropan-1-ol, tribromo derivative/3-bromo-2,2-bis(bromomethyl)-1-propanol (TBNPA); 2,3-dibromo-1-propanol (2,3-DBPA)
  • 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)propionaldehyde and its individual stereoisomers (Lysmeral)
  • 2-(dimethylamino)-2-[(4-methylphenyl)methyl]-1-[4-(morpholin-4-yl)phenyl]butan-1-one (Omnirad)
  • 6,6′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-methylenedi-p-cresol (DBMC)
  • 6-[(C10-C13)-alkyl-(branched, unsaturated)-2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl]hexanoic acid (Tetra-PSCA)
  • Barium diboron tetraoxide
  • Bis(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)ether (tetraglyme)
  • Bis(α,α-dimethylbenzyl) peroxide
  • Dioctyltin dilaurate, stannane, dioctyl-, bis(coco acyloxy) derivatives., and any other stannane, dioctyl-, bis(fatty acyloxy) derivatives. wherein C12 is the predominant carbon number of the fatty acyloxy moiety (DOTL)
  • Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide
  • N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide
  • Orthoboric acid, sodium salt
  • Reactive Brown 51:Tetra(sodium/potassium) 7-[(E)-{2-acetamido-4-[(E)-(4-{[4-chloro-6-({2-[(4-fluoro-6-{[4-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl]amino}-1,3,5-triazine-2- yl)amino]propyl}amino)-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl]amino}-5-sulfonato-1-naphthyl)diazenyl]-5- methoxyphenyl}diazenyl]-1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate
  • Tris(2-methoxyethoxy)vinylsilane

SVHCs are substances that may have serious effects on human health or the environment. For example, they have potential to cause cancer or remain in the environment for a long time.

The UK REACH Candidate List is the list of identified SVHCs under UK REACH. Once on the Candidate List, a substance may be considered for potential inclusion on the Authorisation List (Annex 14) of UK REACH. If a substance is added to the authorisation list, it cannot be used after the specified ‘sunset date’ unless the use is exempt from authorisation, or a use-specific authorisation has been granted.

Inclusion of a substance on the Candidate List also places some additional duties on suppliers of those substances, which are:

  • Duty to communicate information on substances in articles
  • Notification of substances in articles
  • Duty to communicate information on substances in mixtures (must provide an safety data sheet upon request if the mixture contains any substance listed on the UK REACH Candidate List at a concentration of 0.1% (w/w) or more)
  • Duty to communicate information on substances (must provide a safety data sheet for the substance to customers)

Information regarding the consultations for these substances/groups of substances and decision for inclusion on the Candidate List can be found in the registry of SVHC intentions until outcome.

Consultations on the inclusion of further SVHCs to the UK REACH Candidate List will be launched over the remainder of the 2026 to 2027 work year and announced by a HSE e-bulletin.

DGSA Exam Syllabus updates

DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) has released an update to the Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA) Exam Syllabus.

The exam syllabus has been restructured to provide clearer guidance on exam content, topics, and expectations.

Key updates to the DGSA exam syllabus include:

  • Core & All Classes – Specific question counts are removed, with an increased focus on the legal duties of all personnel and specific training requirements.
  • All Classes – Topic groups are restructured, with classification and identification merged into Group 1, while removing specific compliance thresholds.
  • Road – Regulations now focus on fire-fighting equipment and load-specific safety requirements for transport.

For the full breakdown, sample papers, and the annual audit template, please visit the GOV.UK Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser Exams Page.

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

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