The Carriage of Explosives by Rail Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Loading, stowage and unloading of containers and wagons

15.—(1) The operator of a container or wagon which is being used for the carriage of explosives and any other person engaged in such carriage shall take such steps as it is reasonable for them respectively to take to ensure that nothing in the manner in which explosives are loaded, stowed or unloaded from the container or wagon concerned is liable to create a significant risk or increase significantly any existing risk to the health or safety of any person.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), a person shall not cause or permit to be carried in any large container or wagon any package containing explosives unless any requirements specified in Schedule 6 relating to those explosives have been complied with.

(3) The operator of any container or wagon which is to be loaded with explosives shall ensure that those explosives will not, in conjunction with any product remaining in the container or wagon concerned, create a significant risk or significantly increase any existing risk to the health or safety of any person which arises out of the presence of that remaining product.

(4) A person shall not cause or permit any food, or any fodder or feeding stuff for animals, birds or fish, to be carried in any container, or wagon which is—

(a) being used for the carriage of explosives, or

(b) empty, uncleaned, having been used for the carriage of explosives unless that food, fodder or feeding stuff is effectively separated from the explosives by completed partitions as high as the packages containing the explosives or a space of at least 0.8m, or is otherwise adequately protected by additional packaging or complete coverage of those explosives for the risk of contamination by the explosives.

(5) The operator of any container or wagon which has been used for the carriage of packages labelled as containing toxic subsidiary hazard explosives shall ensure that—

(a) after unloading it is checked for any residue of the load; and

(b) where the explosives have leaked and been spilled in the container or wagon—

(i) all other goods and articles carried therein are examined for possible contamination, and

(ii) the container or wagon concerned is not reused until after it has been thoroughly cleaned and, if necessary, decontaminated.