Contact the Dangerous Goods Division

Transport topics
- Freight
  - Safe and secure carriage of dangerous goods

To contact the Dangerous Goods Division regarding operational queries please contact us. Please do not use the DfT general enquiry email address as this may result in a delay to your query being dealt with.

Contact by email (preferred)

Transport and packaging enquiries: dgenquiries@vca.gov.uk

Enquiries regarding policy: dangerousgoods@dft.gsi.gov.uk

By telephone: 020 7944 2755

By fax: 020 7944 2039

By post:

Regulations Team
Dangerous Goods Division
Department for Transport
Zone 2/24
Great Minister House
Marsham Street
London, SW1P 4DR

1. What we can help with

If you have read the materials downloadable from or linked to from DfT’s Dangerous Goods Division’s Internet pages, but you are still unsure as to what you need to do to consign, package or carry dangerous goods – we’re probably the people you need to talk to.

We are also happy to receive comments about the appearance, helpfulness and content of these Internet pages, as well as constructive suggestions as to how we can improve their value to you.

2. What we can’t help with

While we will do our best to give you relevant, current and useful information, we cannot:

Classify substances or articles, or determine whether a particular substance or article is dangerous for transport – classification is the responsibility of the consignor;
Pre-empt decisions that enforcers (Police, VOSA, HSE, ORR) should or will make, or comment on / interpret decisions that enforcers have made;
Comment on or give detailed information about legislation other than that which relates to the carriage of dangerous goods – although we always try to provide you with references to other relevant legislation; or
Provide authoritative legal interpretations; while we will seek to provide you with information on legal provisions and (where relevant) good practice, our answers will be based on our own specialist knowledge applied to the information you give us for each specific enquiry – only the courts can give a authoritative legal interpretation.

3. Before contacting us

Allow time, and look at the Dangerous Goods Division’s Internet pages and the documents downloadable from or linked to from these pages, especially the source texts – ADR and the carriage regulations. ADR may initially look daunting, but the information it contains is structured logically and divided into subject headings.

If you are consigning goods and are unsure about whether or not they are dangerous, or how dangerous they might be, check any documents that came with them. Safety Data Sheets for articles and substances usually have a section covering carriage. A bright ‘hazard’ label on the container will not automatically mean that the goods in question are dangerous for carriage – and the absence of such labels doesn’t necessarily mean that they are safe for carriage.

If you’re consigning or carrying dangerous goods and have not been able to find an answer from available published sources of information, try to have a clear idea of

the ‘official’ or proper shipping names of any goods (Remember that names and descriptions used in dangerous goods carriage legislation may not always correspond to common trade names for substances);
the UN numbers;
the quantities involved; and,
whether these goods are to be carried in tanks, in packages, or in bulk.

If you have not already done so, you may want to see if there is an answer to your question in the Health and Safety Executive’s Carriage of Dangerous Goods Manual. This Manual is intended to help enforcement officers make informed judgements when discussing compliance with duty holders and deciding when to take further action – but, it may be helpful to others. Any reader of the Manual should remember that the law can only be interpreted by the Courts.

4. When contacting us

Clearly identify both your role in the transport chain or its supporting processes: e.g. consignor, consignee, packer, loader, driver, training provider, DGSA; and whether or not your question relates to domestic carriage, international carriage – or both.

When telephoning us, call if possible from a telephone number that you can be rung back on; if calling from a mobile, it would be helpful to have an alternative landline or email address, as there are some networks that we are unable to ring. Choose a location where we can hear you and you can hear us!

It may well be that we can best give you a considered and detailed response in writing, including relevant documents in part or whole. For these reasons, contact by email or fax is strongly preferred.

It is possible that if you ring, the person you first talk to will not be an expert in the area on which you are seeking guidance or information. We will always try to find the right person to answer each question – for that reason, you may (after we have taken your details) not get an answer straight away.

Please do not send enquiries to the personal email accounts of members of staff – if they are away from the office for any length of time, you will not receive the level of service that we aim to provide.