Development and Applicability of Dangerous Goods Safety Advisory

Turkey, which became a party to the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) in 2010, has begun implementing the agreement provisions through national legislation that entered into force. Pursuant to the Regulation on the Road Transport of Dangerous Substances, as of 30 June 2015, all enterprises in all sectors that receive, unload, dispatch, load, package, transport and fill Dangerous Substances totalling 50 tons/m3 or more have been required to employ a Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA). As of 1 January 2018, fuel stations engaged in retail sales and public institutions and organizations will also be required to employ a Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser. With important ADR regulations entering into force in succession, Dangerous Goods Safety Advisory services have become a new sector in our country. Beyond increasing security measures alongside awareness among all enterprises engaged in dangerous goods activities, it also raises occupational safety work and production quality to the highest levels. These are not limited to a narrow field as flammable and combustible products. More than 3,000 different substances are classified into 9 classes within themselves. Within these classes, there are some sub-class groups, and across all classes there is a mandatory complex application involving the concept of packaging groups that indicate hazard levels. All enterprises that receive, unload, dispatch, load, package, transport and fill Dangerous Substances must first submit the necessary application to the Regional Directorate of the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications to obtain a "Dangerous Goods Activity Certificate" and assign at least one Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser to this certificate. Although the requirement began in July 2015, many enterprises have insufficient knowledge and numerous gaps due to limited inspections, a shortage of trained Dangerous Goods Safety Advisers, and misconceptions that they are exempt until 2018. Occupational safety is a subject too profound and comprehensive to be contained in words. At TMGD TR Mühendislik, we work in a leading position with a team composed of chemical and environmental engineers who are aware of their responsibilities.

Understanding the seriousness of the work and providing the highest quality service possible to enterprises, we contribute to the development of the subject with each passing day.

Today, with our professional team, we meet the Dangerous Goods Safety Advisory needs in 18 different sectors, primarily chemistry, cosmetics, textiles, paints and coatings, automotive, hospitals and food, with the highest quality service possible, and we work as one of the leading corporate enterprises in the sector within this complex framework. Although officials at the enterprises where we begin work initially approach the subject with bias, through the training and inspections conducted, they come to understand the importance of the work and embrace that Dangerous Goods Safety Advisory services bring quality and safety to enterprises rather than burden. Enterprises should first initiate their procedures by obtaining support from Dangerous Goods Safety Advisers who have knowledge and experience on the subject in order to correctly calculate their annual Dangerous Goods Activity volumes. Subsequently, when submitting the Dangerous Goods Activity Certificate application, they must be careful about the activities they determine, as updating the certificate later would create financial and moral burden. The final link in this phase is the assignment of the Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser to the enterprise through the system and mutual approval. Following active work, the systems that need to be established, training that needs to be provided, and many structural arrangements will be developed over time, adding positive value to the enterprise's development. The Dangerous Goods Activity Report, which covers a significant portion of the work, is the process of reporting through the system the quantities (tons/m3) of dangerous substances received, sold, packaged, filled and transported by the enterprise within a calendar year, and such reporting is mandatory. The development of Dangerous Goods Safety Advisory culture provides improvements not only in accident numbers but also in process stages such as quality and operational efficiency. Enterprises that move to effective implementation achieve positive impact on profitability with better financial performance. Okay Selçuk / Chemical Engineer and General Coordinator / TMGD TR Mühendislik / Consulting and Training Ltd. Co.