Edition 65, March 2009

New requirements for dangerous goods transport in Victoria


To improve the safety of transporting dangerous goods, some new legal requirements apply in Victoria from 1 January 2009.

Victorian law is now consistent with an updated national framework for transporting dangerous goods by road or rail. The framework, which is the responsibility of the National Transport Commission (NTC), now closely aligns with international standards for transporting and storing dangerous goods.

Victoria�s Dangerous Goods Act 1985 has been amended to adopt the national framework and introduce new regulations for the safe transport of dangerous goods. For consistency, minor amendments have also been made to other Victorian regulations.

Importantly, the law now references the 7th edition of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG7) instead of the 6th edition (ADG6). ADG7 includes updated technical requirements for classifying, packing, labelling, consigning and transporting dangerous goods.

For many workplaces and duty holders, responsibilities will not significantly change with the transition from ADG6 to ADG7.

To allow time to implement the new Code requirements in Victoria, a transition period applies from 1 January to 31 December 2009. During this time, industry can continue to comply with Victoria�s superseded laws that reference ADG6 for the transport of dangerous goods. In practice, this means compliance with either ADG6 or ADG7 is acceptable during the transition period.

From 1 January 2010, all businesses must comply with ADG7.

The new requirements include:

  • some changes to labelling and marking requirements for a number of dangerous goods
  • new documentation requirements for transporting dangerous goods
  • some new and clarified supply chain responsibilities for consignors, packers, people loading vehicles, drivers, prime contractors and rail operators
  • new word definitions and terms that align with international and intermodal practice
  • concessions for transporting small quantities of dangerous goods, such as very small consignments and goods for personal or trade use
  • issue of dangerous goods licences for five years (instead of three)
  • changes to eligibility for Victorian dangerous goods drivers and vehicle licences
  • minimum $5 million insurance for placard loads.

For more information visit the WorkSafe Victoria website.

This page was generated on 26 August, 2009