Emergency Services Specialist Advice - 24/7

What the requirement means

The “Specialist Advice” number is an emergency contact for obtaining product-specific advice about dangerous goods being carried in tanks. It is not simply the company’s general office number: someone answering must be able to provide, or promptly connect the caller to, suitable advice about the goods in the load.

Under Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 4 of the UK Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009, for road transport, the number must:

• Be available in English at any time during carriage.

• Be shown at the rear of the transport unit and on both sides of the tank, its frame or the transport unit.

• Be in the immediate vicinity of the orange plates showing the Emergency Action Codes.

• Be printed in black digits at least 30 mm high, against an orange background.

The regulations allow “consult local depot” or “contact local depot” to be displayed instead of a phone number only where the specified local-depot arrangements have been made, including written acceptance by the relevant fire and rescue authorities. CDG 2009, Schedule 1, paragraph 4

What counts as an adequate response?

HSE guidance says the number must provide appropriate, prompt advice. A contractor or initial call handler can be used if they refer the call to an appointed duty officer; inspectors are advised that one referral is acceptable. HSE suggests aiming to provide product-based information within 10 minutes and any further technical information within 30 minutes. Those timings are HSE guidance for assessing a reasonable response, rather than timings written into paragraph 4 itself. HSE dangerous-goods FAQs

Scope and important distinction

This is a Great Britain domestic road marking requirement for dangerous goods carried in tanks. It does not apply to ordinary packaged-goods loads merely because they contain dangerous goods. HSE says it also does not apply on international journeys when the vehicle properly displays the required Hazard Identification Number (HIN) plates. HSE dangerous-goods FAQs

Schedule 1 has a separate rail provision. For dangerous goods carried in tanks by rail, paragraph 7 requires the number to be shown beside each orange plate, in black digits at least 30 mm high on an orange background, and available in English throughout carriage. It does not specify the same road placement at the rear and on both sides. CDG 2009, Schedule 1, paragraph 7

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