• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has come out with new guidelines to enhance safety in transportation of dangerous, hazardous goods posing threat to public safety, properties and environment.

• The BIS has published ‘IS 18149:2023 - Transportation of Dangerous Goods Guidelines’, which have been formulated under the Transport Services Sectional Committee, SSD 1, of BIS.

• The new guidelines are expected to set a new benchmark for safe handling and transportation of hazardous materials across the country.

• They provide in detail precautions to be taken for packaging, handling and transportation of such hazardous goods.

• The guidelines are meant for all stakeholders including vehicle owners, transport agencies, contractors, consignors, consignees, operators and drivers.

• It will help ensure that hazardous goods are transported in a safe and secure manner, reducing the risk of accidents and potential harm to people and the environment.

Transportation of dangerous goods

• Dangerous goods are substances and articles that have explosive, flammable, toxic, infectious or corrosive properties and pose a risk to public safety, property and the environment.

• The transportation of these goods involves the implementation of adequate measures to ensure their transit in total security and safety.

• While the transportation of hazardous goods may be by land, sea, waterways, rail or even by air, the sensitivity and risk factors involved in the process require specific precautions to be taken.

• These include meticulous packaging and conditioning, specific handling operations during transportation and training and development for persons engaged in transportation and handling of this category of goods.

• The dangerous goods referred in the standard include explosives, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizing substances and organic peroxides, poisonous and infectious substances, radioactive substances, corrosive substances and other miscellaneous dangerous substances.

Bureau of Indian Standards 

• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) was established in 1986 assuming the functions of the erstwhile Indian Standards Institution (ISI).

• In its capacity as the National Standards Body of India, BIS is actively involved in matters of international and regional standardisation. 

• India has been actively involved in the matters of international standardisation and was one of the founding members of International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 

• BIS is a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and regional standards bodies like Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC) and South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO).

• BIS operates under the framework of the BIS Act of 2016 and the Rules and Regulations framed thereunder.

Objectives of BIS:

i) Harmonious development of the activities of standardisation, marking and quality certification of goods.

ii) Provide thrust to standardisation and quality control for growth, and development of industry on one hand, and to meet the needs of consumers on the other.

• Its headquarters is situated in New Delhi. It has five regional offices located at Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Delhi. There are 32 branch offices. 

• BIS develops Indian Standards through a consultative mechanism in technical committees comprising stakeholders so that views and interests of all are given due consideration while formulating a standard.

• BIS operates a Product Certification Scheme. The presence of Standard Mark (popularly known as ISI mark) on a product indicates its conformity to the relevant Indian Standard. Before granting a licence to any manufacturer, BIS ascertains the availability of required infrastructure and capability of the manufacturer to produce and test the product conforming to the relevant Indian Standard.

BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in a number of ways:

i) Providing safe reliable quality goods.

ii) Minimising health hazards to consumers.

iii) Promoting exports and imports substitute.

iv) Control over proliferation of varieties through standardisation, certification and testing.

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