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This page aims to give a broad of overview of the UK legislation relating to the carriage of dangerous goods and the European agreement it implements insofar as they relate to fire extinguishers.

This document is broken down into the following sections:

• ADR
• CDG 2009
• Requirements to have Fire Extinguishers
• Additional Requirements Regarding Fire Extinguishers
• Requirements Regarding Training & Knowledge
• Further Information

Throughout, references to the pertinent legislation have been included as footnotes. The reader is referred to the full text of the Regulations (available here from the Government’s Official UK legislation site) for full details, along with the text of the ADR (available here from the UN’s Economic Commission for Europe) which it implements.

The European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (“ADR”)

The “Accord Européen Relatif au Transport International des Marchandises Dangereuses par Route” (or the “European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road”) is the agreement produced by UN’s Economic Commission for Europe in 1968. It is referred to as the “ADR”.

The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (“CDG 2009”)

The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (“CDG 2009”) came into force on 1 July 2009. It is the most recent legislation by which the ADR is implemented¹, albeit with some additional or alternative requirements, in the UK.

Requirements to have Fire Extinguishers

As with most aspects of the ADR, the requirements for fire extinguisher cover is highly structured and prescriptive². Vehicles carrying dangerous goods have certain requirements regarding the provision of fire extinguishers. For qualifying vehicles and loads, typical requirements would be as set out below:

Additional Requirements Regarding Fire Extinguishers

in addition to specifying the quantity and types of extinguishers, the ADR also requires that the fire extinguishers shall:

1. be suitable for use on a vehcile⁸;
2. comply with BS EN 3 parts 1 to 6⁸;
3. be fitted with an anti-tamper seal⁹;
4. “bear a mark of compliance with a standard recognized by a competent authority and an inscription at least indicating the date (month, year) of the next recurrent inspection or of the maximum permissible period of use, as applicable”⁹;
5. “be subjected to periodic inspections in accordance with authorized national standards in order to guarantee their functional safety”⁹; and
6. installed so that they are easily accessible and protected from the weather¹⁰.

We can commission and supply fire extinguishers that comply with the requirements of 1-3 above and can service fire extinguishers in accordance with both BS 5306-3 and the requirements of 3-5 above. Please contact us for further details.

Requirements Regarding Training & Knowledge

The ADR also requires¹¹ drivers to undergo practical exercises accompanying theoretical training on fire-fighting. Separately, it also requires¹² that the vehicle crew to know how to use the fire-fighting appliances.

Further Information

More information on this subject can be found from the UK Government’s Health & Safety Executive in their section on the ADR & CDG 2009.

Click here for the full text of the CDG 2009, available from the Government’s Official UK legislation site, and here for the full text of the ADR, available from the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Europe.

Should you wish for any further information under this subject, please feel free to contact us.

1. Regulation 5 of the CDG 2009.
2. As per Paragraph 8.1.4 of the ADR.
3. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.2 of the ADR.
4. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.1 (a) of the ADR.
5. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.1 (b) (iii) of the ADR.
6. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.1 (b) (ii) of the ADR.
7. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.1 (b) (i) of the ADR.
8. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.3 of the ADR.
9. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.4 of the ADR.
10. As per Paragraph 8.1.4.5 of the ADR.
11. As per Paragraph 8.2.2.4.5 of the ADR.
12. As per Paragraph 8.3.2 of the ADR.