Centre issues guidelines to Ensure Safety in Transportation of Dangerous Goods

Why is in news? Centre issues guidelines to Ensure Safety in Transportation of Dangerous Goods

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India, has recently published new guidelines aimed at enhancing safety in the transportation of dangerous goods.

The guidelines, known as ‘IS 18149:2023 - Transportation of Dangerous Goods — Guidelines’, have been formulated under the Transport Services Sectional Committee, SSD 01, of BIS, and are expected to set a new benchmark for the safe handling and transportation of hazardous materials across the country.

With the aim of standardizing the transportation practices, the BIS guidelines will help ensure that hazardous goods are transported in a safe and secure manner, reducing the risk of accidents and potential harm to people and the environment.

Dangerous goods are substances and articles that have explosive, flammable, toxic, infectious or corrosive properties and pose a risk to public safety, property and the environment.

The transportation of these goods involves the implementation of adequate measures to ensure their transit in total security and safety.

While the transportation of hazardous goods may be by land, sea, waterways, rail or even by air, the sensitivity and risk factors involved in the process require specific precautions to be taken.

These include meticulous packaging and conditioning, specific handling operations during transportation and training and development for persons engaged in transportation and handling of this category of goods.

Further, the IS 18149:2023, provides guidelines on classification, packaging, labelling and marking, handling, documentation, role of stakeholders, training, transportation, emergency action and provisions for segregation.

The dangerous goods referred in the standard include explosives, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizing substances and organic peroxides, poisonous and infectious substances, radioactive substances, corrosive substances and other miscellaneous dangerous substances.

This standard is formulated to provide guidelines for all the stakeholders including vehicle owner’s/transport agencies, contractors, consignors, consignees, operators and drivers carrying dangerous goods/substances for the safe transportation of dangerous goods.

Bureau of Indian Standards:

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India under Department of Consumer affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.

It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 which came into effect on 12 October 2017.

BIS is the National Standard Body of India for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods.

The organisation was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), set up under the Resolution of the Department of Industries and Supplies, dated 3 September 1946. The ISI was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in a number of ways by:

a)Providing safe reliable quality goods.

b)Minimizing health hazards to consumers.

c)Promoting exports and imports substitute.

d)Control over proliferation of varieties etc through standardization, certification and testing.