Protective equipment

Protective equipment in accordance with the ADR agreement (accord européen sur le transport des marchandises dangereuses par route / European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road) must be carried on the transporter as part of the cargo securing in order for permission to transport dangerous goods and merchandise to be at all possible.

However, there is no specific container prescribed by law for the safe transport of personal protective equipment. It is counterproductive, nevertheless, if important utensils are not kept safely in a specific place. This ensures that the contents of a hazardous goods case are always in top condition and ready for immediate use. For certain classes of dangerous goods, for example, a so-called collection container is required. The standard version of ADR protective equipment is normally supplied in a case that can perform this function.

The orderly sorting of personal protective equipment on the truck is also extremely helpful if there is an accident or if all the prescribed items have to be quickly to hand during an official inspection. Manufacturers also note a list of contents and the expiry dates of certain utensils, such as spray bottles and filters, on the outside of the hazardous goods equipment cases.

The other/personal protective equipment for road safety on the truck is clearly defined and specified under ADR section 8.1.5.

Whenever dangerous goods or hazardous goods are transported, protective equipment must be available for personal and general safety according to subsection 8.1.5.2 for road safety on the truck. The individual items are to be selected according to the hazard label numbering that identifies the goods loaded. The hazard label numbers can be determined from the transport documents.

The following equipment is mandatory for a transport unit on the truck:

• Eye wash liquid or eye wash bottle (NOT required in ADR Classes 1 and 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3)
• A high-visibility vest for each accompanying person in the vehicle (e.g. according to standard DIN EN 471:2003 and A1:2007)
• Safety glasses
• PVC protective gloves
• Mobile lighting equipment in accordance with section 8.3.4
• Full face mask and combination filter

Additional equipment is prescribed for trucks of certain classes. The protective equipment for transport units with hazard label numbers 2.3 and 6.1 must therefore be supplemented with an emergency escape mask for each accompanying person. Note: The required emergency escape mask must have a dust/gas combination filter type A2B2E2K2–P2 or A1B1E1K1–P1 comparable to the product of standard EN 14387:2004 and A1:2008. This means that commercially available fine-dust filter masks are not sufficient.