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GOOD TO BE BACK CONFERENCE REPORT • THE VCA SEMINAR WAS BACK THIS YEAR AND PACKED A LOT INTO ITS TWO DAYS. OLD FRIENDS AND NEW FACES WERE MUCH IN EVIDENCE IN THE AUDIENCE AND ON THE PODIUM
It might be thought that, three years after the previous event, there would be a lot to catch up on but it should be remembered that the regulators were also affected by lockdowns and travel restrictions, meaning that as a result there were fewer changes to the regulations than might have been expected.
“I NEVER THOUGHT I’d say this – but it’s good to be back in Daventry,” said Peter Mackay, HCB’s managing editor, as he opened this year’s Dangerous Goods Seminar on 7 June. Chairing the two-day event, organised by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), he also noted that the Daventry Court Hotel had failed to take advantage of the quiet time offered by Covid-related lockdowns to do much in the way of maintenance or renovation, but at least that meant it was a familiar venue for attendees, around half of whom were repeat visitors. Indeed, the conference room was very busy
activities, with plenty of delegates taking the opportunity to see what was new and interesting on the exhibition booths while waiting (rather too long for some) for the refreshments to appear. But that did give some time to catch up with old friends, at least those that had made it through the pandemic, and make some new connections, which is always half the benefit of events such as this. There were, too, plenty of first-timers at the seminar, including many newly qualified dangerous goods safety advisers (DGSAs) keen to keep abreast of the latest changes to
GREAT MINSTER REPORT As well as seeing a lot of new faces among the audience, there were also some newbies on the stage, not least from the UK Department for Transport (DfT), which had put up three first-timers to run delegates through the upcoming changes to ADR and RID that will, as a result, will be implemented through the GB’s Carriage of Dangerous Goods etc Regulations (CDG). David Pope introduced the main changes to the 2023 editions of ADR and RID, starting with a stern reminder that the transitional provision that appeared in 2019 relating to the requirement for consignor-only companies (freight forwarders, for example) to appoint a
– if perhaps not to quite the same degree as in previous years – after the 2020 and 2021 events had fallen victim to the pandemic. And while the pandemic continues to bubble away, somewhat more quietly than before, there was little chance to observe social distancing. That was similarly the case during the evening
the various regulations governing the carriage of dangerous goods. They were treated to the regular ‘primer’ session to make sure they would be able to keep up with discussions, presented – possibly for the last time – by Keith White, head of VCA’s Dangerous Goods Office.
DGSA will expire at the end of 2022. After that, operators that fall under that category will no longer enjoy their relief from the provisions. There was a brief pause at this point as many in the audience, who had clearly forgotten about the whole thing, allowed the implications to sink in. That was followed by a
HCB MONTHLY | SEPTEMBER 2022