UN, OTIF and the transport of dangerous goods
Swedish regulations on the transport of dangerous goods by road and rail are based on international agreements set by the UN and OTIF.
The United Nations is responsible for the agreement on road transport (ADR), while the intergovernmental organisation OTIF is responsible for the corresponding agreement concerning rail transport (RID). MSB is actively involved in the development of the provisions, e.g. by participating on the various committees and working groups that discuss, develop and adopt new provisions.
The UN Model Regulations (the “Orange Book”)
The UN Model Regulations form the basis for the development of regulations for the transport of dangerous goods, regardless of transport mode. The Model Regulations represent the global orientation for how the rules should be formulated and structured to achieve harmonized provisions. Among other things, the Model Regulations cover the classification of dangerous goods, construction and approval of packagings and consignment procedures such as marking, labelling and documentation.
The regulations are continuously developed and are set by an expert committee of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and two sub-committees of the expert committee.
The MSB and the Swedish Chemicals Agency represent Sweden on these meetings.