Main requirements for developing measures for the transport of hazardous goods (by road)

In the Republic of Belarus, the legislation in the field of transporting dangerous goods is based on the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and consists of the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus, the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated June 6, 2001 No. 32-Z "On the Transportation of Dangerous Goods", regulatory legal acts of the President of the Republic of Belarus, and other legislative acts regulating the transportation of dangerous goods, including technical regulatory legal acts.

The transportation of dangerous goods is associated with certain risks that can lead to accidents and incidents capable of causing harm not only to production facilities but also to the environment, health, and lives of people. To prevent the occurrence of the aforementioned negative consequences, it is necessary to develop and implement measures for the prevention, localization, and elimination of accidents and incidents, as well as for the elimination of their consequences.

The main requirements when developing measures (by road transport):

1. prevention of accidents (incidents):

- identification of potential sources of danger based on risk analysis present at the enterprise during the transportation of dangerous goods;

- selection of a safe transport route and monitoring compliance with temperature and speed regimes;

- development of measures to reduce the likelihood of emergency situations;

- maintenance of vehicles transporting dangerous goods in good working order, including timely technical maintenance, repairs, inspections, and testing of these vehicles;

- briefing and certification of drivers and accompanying persons;

- training personnel on actions in case of an accident or incident, including practical drills on actions during a possible accident or incident;

- provision of personal protective equipment, communication means, and others;

2. localization of accidents (incidents):

- algorithm for interaction with emergency services;

- instructions for isolating the source of the accident or incident;

- evacuation plans for personnel and the population from the accident or incident zone;

3. elimination of the consequences of accidents (incidents):

- neutralization and collection of hazardous substances;

- medical assistance to the injured;

- environmental measures for restoring the environment;

- restoration of infrastructure;

- analysis of the causes of the incident and development of measures to prevent similar situations in the future.

The development and implementation of measures for the prevention, localization, and elimination of accidents and incidents, as well as for the elimination of their consequences, is not a formal obligation but a vital element of the sustainable and safe functioning of organizations engaged in the transportation of dangerous goods – from the sender to the carrier and the recipient.