Euro Contrôle route: 1st master class - dangerous goods.

The first ADR Master Class was held from 5 to 7 October on the premises of the General Secretariat of the Benelux. The Master Class was organised by Euro Contrôle Route. The class was introduced by Mr Luc Willems, Deputy Secretary-General, who highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Benelux and Euro Contrôle Route. 

ADR is the abbreviation of the French title of the European Agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road: “Accord européen rélatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route”.

The legislation is very complex and technical, and it is subject to amendments every two years. For the inspector on the road, it is therefore a challenge to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of ADR. Moreover, for most enforcers the problem of dangerous goods is just one small aspect of the full range of their duties.
Anyone who has witnessed the scene of destruction that follows an accident involving a lorry carrying dangerous goods is aware of the impact that one single accident can have on road users: risks to health, risk of fire, traffic jams due to the fact that the cleanup operation required in the aftermath of such an accident has to be done very carefully, etc. Therefore, it was absolutely essential to give the enforcers this opportunity to learn and share best practices.

For this reason, Euro Contrôle Route took the initiative to bring together experts from the different inspection services (inspectors, police and customs) and the specialised sector to give the participants a clearer picture of ADR. In addition, the course addressed specific practical problems such as the inspection of fumigated containers and the role of inspections in accidents involving dangerous freight transport.

The European Commission was also represented. The Commission outlined recent and future developments in the field of ADR and highlighted the concrete results of the exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission on violations of the ADR legislation brought to light by roadside inspections.
Furthermore, the Master Class stressed the importance of initial and continuing training and outlined the viewpoint of the transport sector.

Given the positive outcome of this first Master Class, we are now looking forward to the next edition, which is scheduled for 2011.
 

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