Special agreements bring flexibility in emergency conditions to provisions on transport of gases needed in hospitals
The Government has issued new decrees to bring into force special agreements on the transport of dangerous goods during emergency conditions.
The agreements ensure that transport of dangerous goods in conformity with the relevant requirements continues. The aim is also to ensure that the periodic inspections relating to the transport provisions will not, for example, limit the availability of gases needed in hospitals.
With the special agreements (M326, M327 and RID 4/2020), the periodic inspections of pressure receptacles, UN tanks and UN-MEG containers that would expire during the coronavirus situation willexceptionally remain in force with special arrangement in Finland and other signatory countries of the agreement.
The special agreements may be applied to transport by road and rail that are mostly used for the carriage of dangerous goods.
The Transport and Communications Agency signed the special agreements on 14 April 2020.
The Government decided on the enforcement of the special agreements by decrees on 16 April 2020. The decrees on the special agreements will enter into force on 17 April 2020.
The agreements will be available on the website of the Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. The Agency will provide information on them in Finnish and Swedish.
Inquiries:
Mari Suominen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 40 562 7779
Press release of 2 April 2020: Transport of dangerous goods under emergency conditions ensured
Finnish Government: Valtioneuvoston yleisistuntojen aineistot (in Finnish)
Liikenne- ja veistintävirasto Traficom: Vaarallisten aineiden kuljetus
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom: Transportation of dangerous goods