Insofar as such draft regulations apply to road and rail transport and carriage within ports, they are placed before the Health and Safety Commission and then submitted to the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions for approval. As it has responsibilities for enforcing the regulations, the HSE plays an important part in ensuring compliance with the regulations. The following covers the transport of dangerous goods other than radioactive material, which is dealt with in a separate section of the website. The regulations relating to the transport of dangerous goods by road cover aspects of the design and construction of vehicles, precautions against fire and explosion, transport documentation to be carried by the driver, labelling of packages, placarding of the vehicle and driver training. Additionally, they address vehicle operational matters not covered by Construction and Use Regulations.
Similar provisions apply in Northern Ireland.
The road regulations are enforced, principally at operators' premises, by the HSE Factory Inspectorate. From 1.1.2001 VIEA also exercise certain enforcement powers. Periodic special enforcement exercises are held nationally. The results suggest that the overall standard of compliance with the regulations in the UK, is good. The domestic requirements for the transport of dangerous goods by rail have been reviewed to take account of the changes arising from the decision to open up the rail network to private operators.