In short
A DGSA audit is your adviser's check of how your business handles dangerous goods in practice, from the paperwork to the loading bay. It's how your DGSA carries out their monitoring duties, and it feeds into your annual report. For a single site it usually takes between half a day and a day.
ADR doesn't set out a formal audit procedure, but ADR 1.8.3.3 requires your DGSA to monitor a long list of practices and procedures. A site audit is the practical way to do that.
Before the audit
To make the visit efficient, have these ready:
- A list of the dangerous goods you handle, with safety data sheets
- Examples of recent transport documents
- Training records for everyone involved with dangerous goods
- Your procedures and emergency arrangements
- Records of any incidents, near misses or roadside stops
- Details of hauliers and other subcontractors you use
- Last year's DGSA annual report and action plan
On the day
1. Opening meeting
We agree the scope, talk through any changes since the last visit, and hear about any concerns.
2. Site walk
We look at where dangerous goods are received, stored, packed and loaded: packaging condition, marks and labels, segregation, and how loads are secured.
3. Vehicles and equipment
Where you operate your own vehicles, we check placarding, the equipment that must be carried, and the instructions in writing.
4. Documents and records
We check transport documents, training records, procedures and, where required, your security plan.
5. Talking to staff
A short conversation with the people doing the work often shows more than any document.
6. Closing summary
Before leaving, we talk through the main findings, so nothing in the written report comes as a surprise.
Common findings
These are some of the issues DGSA audits find most often:
- Training records missing, out of date, or not matched to each person's role
- Errors on transport documents, such as the wrong proper shipping name or missing information
- Missing, wrong or damaged marks and labels, including limited quantity marks
- Incompatible goods stored or loaded together
- No written procedures, or procedures that don't match what happens in practice
- No checks on whether hauliers and subcontractors are competent
- Missing vehicle equipment or out-of-date instructions in writing
- No security plan where high-consequence dangerous goods are handled
After the audit
You receive a written report with clear, prioritised findings and a practical action plan. We help you put things right, check progress through the year, and use the results in your DGSA annual report.
An audit isn't an inspection. Its purpose is to find and fix problems before an enforcement officer, an insurer or an incident does.
Not sure where you stand?
We'll check your position for free and tell you straight whether you need a DGSA.
Get Your Free Check