Checked 28 October 2026. Read on GOV.UK (guidance note 19, updated 15 January 2026, and the exam booking page, updated 11 September 2026) on 28 October 2026. The DfT review of October 2025 may lead to changes; check GOV.UK before you rely on a detail.
A Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA) is the person a business appoints to keep its carriage of dangerous goods by road, rail or inland waterway within the law. To become one you pass three written exams set by Qualifications Scotland: Core, All Classes, and one of Road, Rail or Inland Waterways. The certificate lasts 5 years, and you renew it by passing the relevant mandatory exams again in its final year.
GOV.UK guidance note 19 and the booking page; SQA FOI 23/24 146. Read 28 October 2026.
What a DGSA does
GOV.UK says DGSAs “help prevent the risks involved in the carriage of dangerous goods”, to people, property and the environment. The duties it lists are:
| Duty | In practice |
|---|---|
| Monitor compliance | Check that the business follows the rules for the dangerous goods it consigns, packs, fills, loads, unloads or carries |
| Advise | Tell the business how to carry dangerous goods safely |
| Report incidents | Report incidents and accidents involving dangerous goods to the Department for Transport |
| Investigate | Investigate accidents or infringements and keep records of them |
| Training | Monitor the training and advice given to other staff |
| Annual report | Complete the annual audit report on the business’s dangerous goods activities (GOV.UK: “all the information is contained in ADR Chapter 1.8.3.3”) |
From GOV.UK, Dangerous goods safety advisers (guidance note 19), read 28 October 2026.
The duties as ADR itself states them
The GOV.UK list summarises ADR 1.8.3.3, which says the adviser’s main task is, “under the responsibility of the head of the undertaking”, to help the business carry on its dangerous goods activities within the rules “and in the safest possible way”. Beyond monitoring, advising and the annual report, ADR lists the practices and procedures the adviser monitors:
| The adviser monitors | ADR 1.8.3.3 |
|---|---|
| How dangerous goods being transported are identified | Identification procedures |
| Whether special requirements of the goods are taken into account when purchasing means of transport | Purchasing means of transport |
| How equipment for carriage, packing, filling, loading and unloading is checked | Equipment checks |
| Staff training, including on changes to the regulations, and its records | Training |
| Emergency procedures, accident reports and measures to stop a repeat | Emergencies and incidents |
| How sub-contractors and third parties are chosen and used | Sub-contractors |
| Operational procedures, risk awareness, documents and safety equipment on board, and the security plan (1.10.3.2) | Procedures, documents, security |
Our summary of ADR 2025 1.8.3.3. ADR adds that annual reports “shall be preserved for five years and made available to the national authorities at their request”.
The adviser need not be an employee. ADR 1.8.3.4: the adviser “may also be the head of the undertaking, a person with other duties in the undertaking, or a person not directly employed by that undertaking”, provided that person is capable of the duties. In the DfT review’s survey, 63 % of the 268 DGSAs were directly employed by one company, 30 % worked only as external contractors and another 6 % did both; of those 96 contractors, 54 % advised more than five companies. Under 1.8.3.5 a business must, on request, tell the competent authority who its adviser is.
- 9 timed papers in the official written-answer layout
- Core, All Classes and Road, 50 marks each
- Your paper marked point by point in about a minute
- Missed points with the reference to read
- Model answers and references for every question
- Score against both published pass marks
Who must appoint a DGSA
A business that transports dangerous goods must have a DGSA. GOV.UK says businesses that do so “on a regular basis” need one to consign, carry, pack or fill, and load or unload dangerous goods. Since 2022 that has included consignors. The exceptions GOV.UK gives in its summary are: carrying them only occasionally (for example breakdown recovery), carrying them in limited quantities or small loads, moving them a very short distance by road (for example between buildings on an industrial estate), and private vehicles.
The exemptions in detail
| You may be exempt if | What that covers |
|---|---|
| Quantities per transport unit are smaller than those referred to in ADR 1.1.3.6, 1.7.1.4, 3.3, 3.4 or 3.5 (GOV.UK’s wording; ADR 1.8.3.2 (b) says “not exceeding”) | The “1,000 points” small-load threshold (1.1.3.6), the radioactive material cases in 1.7.1.4, and quantities under the special provisions (Chapter 3.3), limited quantities (3.4) and excepted quantities (3.5) |
| Your main or secondary activities are not the carriage or related loading or unloading of dangerous goods (GOV.UK’s wording) | ADR 1.8.3.2 (c), the rule behind it, also names consignment, packing and filling, and adds conditions: the business only occasionally engages in national consignment, carriage, packing, filling, loading or unloading of dangerous goods posing little danger or risk of pollution |
| The operation meets ADR 1.1.3 | The ADR exemptions, for example by the nature of the operation |
| The operation meets Road Derogation 11 (RO-bi-UK-1), crossing public roads | Domestic carriage only |
From GOV.UK guidance note 19, section “DGSA exemptions”. GOV.UK also says you should employ a DGSA if you transport goods internationally.
How the 1,000-point threshold is calculated, with a worked load, is in our Road paper guide.
How you qualify
“To become a DGSA, you must pass written examinations,” says GOV.UK. You need all three of:
| Paper | Time | Layout on the sample paper | Pass mark | Text you answer from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | 1 hour 15 minutes | 10 questions, 50 marks | 65 % (syllabus); 32 marks (sample paper) | ADR, RID or ADN, your choice |
| All Classes | 1 hour 45 minutes | 8 questions, 50 marks | 65 % (syllabus); 32 marks (sample paper) | ADR, RID or ADN, your choice |
| Road (or Rail, or Inland Waterways) | 1 hour 45 minutes | Road: Section A, one case study (35 marks; the paper offers a choice of three, the sample prints one); Section B, questions (15 marks) | 65 % (syllabus); 32 marks (sample paper) | ADR for Road (RID for Rail, ADN for Inland Waterways) |
From the GOV.UK syllabus (time, pass mark) and the official sample papers (layout, 32 marks), read 28 October 2026.
The exams are handwritten, in person, at venues across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and each costs £135. You may take printed copies of ADR (or RID or ADN), CDG2009, the emergency action code list and the approved derogations into the exam. Dates, booking and venues are in our dates and booking guide.
There is no legal requirement to take a course. GOV.UK: “There is no legal requirement to undertake formal training to become a DGSA. Training courses are run by independent providers and trade associations, with course lengths typically varying between 2 to 5 days. These courses do not need to be approved by DfT.” What that means for cost is in our course cost guide.
If you are preparing on your own, practise writing answers with references, because that is how the exam is marked. The DGSA practice papers are 9 timed papers (3 Core, 3 All Classes, 3 Road) where you write your answers and each one is marked point by point, with the ADR, CDG2009, emergency action code list or derogation reference for every point you missed. One Core question is free to try.
- 9 timed papers in the official written-answer layout
- Core, All Classes and Road, 50 marks each
- Your paper marked point by point in about a minute
- Missed points with the reference to read
- Model answers and references for every question
- Score against both published pass marks
The certificate and renewal
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| What the certificate shows | The modes of transport (road, rail, inland waterway) and the classes of dangerous goods you are qualified for |
| How long it lasts | 5 years; recognised by all countries that are party to ADR and RID |
| How you renew | Pass the relevant mandatory exams within the final year of the certificate |
| When the new one starts | At the old certificate’s expiry date; it then runs for 5 years |
| Late renewal | “extensions to expired certificates will not be granted” |
| Lost, stolen or damaged | Replacement costs £30; it should arrive within 10 working days of payment |
| Name change | Free, with a scan or photo of a document showing the new name |
From GOV.UK guidance note 19, read 28 October 2026.
GOV.UK says renewal means passing “the relevant mandatory DGSA examinations” in the final year, booked through the same service; it describes no separate renewal paper. With 5 sittings over the next 13 months and results taking up to 8 weeks, a DGSA whose certificate expires in late 2027 who leaves it to the last sitting has no second try. The DfT review (October 2025) records that 24 % of the 25 respondents who did not plan to renew gave “did not want to go through the exam process again” as a reason.
Who holds the qualification
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA, now Qualifications Scotland), the only examination body for the DGSA exams, gave these figures for current certificate holders in February 2024:
| Certificate | Holders |
|---|---|
| Road | 2,068 |
| Road and Rail | 52 |
| Inland Waterways | 15 |
| Rail only | 14 |
SQA FOI 23/24 146, answered 2 February 2024.
Almost 30 % of holders were 55 or over (642 of 2,150 counted by age, our arithmetic). The DfT review’s survey found 55 % of the DGSAs who replied were over 50, which it says “could indicate that over half of the UK cohort of DGSAs are approaching retirement age”. The GOV.UK list of DGSAs is opt-in, so it shows fewer names than there are holders.
Frequently asked questions
What does DGSA stand for?
Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser: the person a business appoints to monitor and advise on its carriage of dangerous goods by road, rail or inland waterway. The certificate shows which of those modes it covers.
Does my business need a DGSA?
If it consigns, carries, packs, fills, loads or unloads dangerous goods regularly, usually yes. GOV.UK lists exemptions, including quantities not exceeding the ADR 1.1.3.6 threshold, limited and excepted quantities, and operations under ADR 1.1.3. A business whose main or secondary activity is not dangerous goods may be exempt only if it engages in them occasionally, nationally, with goods posing little danger or risk of pollution (ADR 1.8.3.2 (c)).
Which exams do I need to pass?
Three: Core, All Classes, and one of Road, Rail or Inland Waterways. Each costs £135, so £405 for the three if you pass each first time.
Do I have to do a course?
No. GOV.UK says there is no legal requirement to undertake formal training, and that courses, typically 2 to 5 days, do not need DfT approval.
How do I renew a DGSA certificate?
Pass the relevant mandatory exams again within the final year of your certificate. The new certificate runs for 5 years from the old expiry date, and extensions to an expired certificate are not granted.
How many DGSAs are there in the UK?
The SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) gave 2,149 current certificate holders in February 2024: 2,068 Road, 52 Road and Rail, 15 Inland Waterways and 14 Rail only.
Independent — not affiliated with Qualifications Scotland, the DVSA or the Department for Transport. ProSyllabus is an independent study site and nothing here is official. The exam facts on this page are quoted or summarised from GOV.UK, Qualifications Scotland, ADR 2025 or CDG2009, read on 28 October 2026; lines marked as our suggestion, and the lines about our practice papers, are ProSyllabus’s own.
Sources
- official — GOV.UK (DfT): Dangerous goods safety advisers, guidance note 19 (updated 15 January 2026)
- official — GOV.UK (DVSA): Book a dangerous goods safety adviser exam (dates, fees, venues, results, appeals; updated 11 September 2026)
- official — GOV.UK (DVSA): Dangerous goods safety adviser exam syllabus (updated 2 June 2026)
- official — GOV.UK (DfT): Dangerous goods safety advisers review, call for evidence outcome (October 2025)
- official — Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA, now Qualifications Scotland): FOI 23/24 146, entries and pass rates for DGSA exams (answered 2 February 2024)
- official — GOV.UK (DVSA): Find a dangerous goods safety adviser (opt-in list)
- official — UNECE: ADR 2025, Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ECE/TRANS/352, Vols I and II)
- official — GOV.UK (DfT): Carriage of dangerous goods, approved derogations, transitional provisions and exceptions
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
