Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser Annual Audit

It covers the core areas a DGSA would review during an annual dangerous goods audit: scope, transport documentation, packaging and labeling, storage and workplace controls, training, and incident follow-up. The template is built to capture observable deficiencies, not just policy statements. It also helps document rejected loads, discrepancies, and corrective actions so the audit produces a usable action list.

It is typically completed by the Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser or another qualified compliance lead, with support from site operations, warehouse, and transport managers. A competent person should verify the physical conditions being inspected, especially where segregation, load securement, or emergency controls are involved. If the site uses contractors or multiple shifts, include the people who actually handle the goods.

This template is designed for an annual DGSA review, but it can also be used after major changes such as new product classes, a new warehouse layout, a carrier change, or a serious incident. Many operators pair the annual audit with periodic internal checks so issues are found before the formal review. If your risk profile is higher, use the same structure more frequently as a spot-check tool.

Yes, it is structured to support dangerous goods compliance expectations under transport rules and workplace safety programs, including the relevant ADR-style transport controls where applicable, OSHA-style workplace controls, and fire-life-safety expectations. It also helps evidence training, documentation retention, segregation, and incident management. You should still tailor it to the governing transport regime and local authority requirements for your operation.

Common findings include missing or incomplete transport documents, labels or placards that do not match the shipment, damaged packaging, poor segregation of incompatible goods, and expired or undocumented training. Audits also often uncover spill kits that are not fully stocked, blocked emergency routes, and incident logs with no closure evidence. Those are the kinds of issues this template is meant to surface quickly.

Yes, and you should. Add the dangerous goods classes, UN numbers, storage areas, loading docks, and special controls that apply to your operation, then remove sections that do not fit your workflow. The template is a starting point, so it should reflect your actual routes, carriers, packaging types, and emergency arrangements.

An ad-hoc checklist often misses the link between documents, physical condition, training, and corrective action tracking. This template keeps those pieces together so the audit produces a clear record of what was checked, what was found, and who owns the fix. That makes it easier to trend recurring deficiencies and show due diligence over time.

Record each non-conformance with enough detail to assign an owner, due date, and disposition. Critical items such as damaged packages, missing labels, or blocked emergency access should be escalated immediately rather than left in a routine action queue. Close the loop by verifying the corrective action and keeping the evidence with the audit record.