Our courses are designed to equip people at all levels with the necessary skills to minimise incidents in the workplace.
Dangerous Goods Training
If your business transports dangerous goods by road, your drivers must be trained as a legal requirement.
Our dangerous goods course gives your drivers the knowledge and practical competence to load, convey and off-load dangerous goods safely.
What the law requires:
Drivers of dangerous goods vehicles above 3,500 kg GVM must be trained by a Department of Transport (DoT) and TETA-approved training provider.
A valid dangerous goods certificate is required when a driver applies for a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP) in the dangerous goods category.
Without trained drivers, your business faces roadside non-compliance, operational delays and serious liability if an incident occurs.
National Occupational Safety & Health Consultancy is an accredited provider of practical dangerous goods training for companies across South Africa. We can train your drivers on-site at your premises, so disruption to your fleet and delivery schedules stays to a minimum.
Need to train your drivers? Request a quote and tell us how many drivers need training and where they are based.
Why businesses choose our dangerous goods training
One dangerous goods incident on the road can lead to injuries, environmental damage, costly clean-up, vehicle loss and reputational harm. Every driver who conveys dangerous goods on your behalf needs to understand their legal duties and know how to respond correctly when something goes wrong.
Our training is built for employers who need real-world competence, not just a certificate on file. We have worked with larger organisations across a range of industries, and our registered, experienced assessors and moderators understand how dangerous goods are handled in day-to-day operations.
What you get:
Legal compliance: content aligned to the training requirements for drivers of dangerous goods vehicles under the National Road Traffic Act.
An accredited provider: training delivered by an established OHS training provider with registered, experienced assessors and moderators.
Practical content: placarding, documentation, loading, emergency response and firefighting, taught with real operating conditions in mind.
On-site delivery: we train at your premises, so drivers spend less time away from the fleet.
National coverage: training for companies across South Africa, including multi-site operations.
A free no obligation quote: priced according to your group size, location and training needs.
Wider OHS support: broader health and safety training and OHS compliance surveys from one provider.
What the dangerous goods course covers
The course is aligned to SAQA unit standard 123259, Convey Dangerous Goods by Road: the safe loading, conveying and off-loading of dangerous goods according to legal and organisational requirements. Successful delegates are able to convey dangerous goods in line with legal, safety and manufacturer requirements, and to handle incidents safely.
Course modules:
Introduction to conveying dangerous goods: key legal concepts and responsibilities under the National Road Traffic Act, including the roles of the consignor, consignee, operator and driver.
Classification, exempt quantities and compatibility: hazard classes, exempt quantities and which goods may be loaded together, including mixed loads.
Placarding and documentation: what warning panels, danger warning diamonds, UN numbers, tremcards and dangerous goods declarations mean, and how they are used.
Emergency response procedures and PPE: selecting and using the correct personal protective and safety equipment, and reporting and responding to incidents for the class of substance being transported.
Drivers' duties, documentation and behaviour: what the law expects of a driver before, during and after a trip.
Loading and off-loading: safe procedures at loading points and delivery sites.
Vehicle stability: how load type, distribution and securing affect safe vehicle handling.
Firefighting: basic firefighting principles and the use of the equipment carried on dangerous goods vehicles.
Training combines theory with practical application, so drivers can apply what they learn on the road, not just pass an assessment.
Dangerous goods classes covered
South African standards follow the United Nations system, which groups dangerous goods into nine hazard classes. Drivers learn to identify each class, understand its main hazards and recognise the matching placards.
Class
Hazard
Common examples
1
Explosives
Detonators, fireworks
2
Gases (flammable, non-flammable and toxic)
LPG, oxygen, chlorine
3
Flammable liquids
Petrol, diesel, paint
4
Flammable solids, spontaneously combustible substances and substances that react dangerously with water
Sulphur, matches
5
Oxidising substances and organic peroxides
Ammonium nitrate, hydrogen peroxide
6
Toxic and infectious substances
Pesticides, medical waste
7
Radioactive material
Industrial gauges, medical isotopes
8
Corrosive substances
Sulphuric acid, battery acid
9
Miscellaneous dangerous goods
Lithium batteries, asbestos
Training can focus on the substances your business actually transports, which makes it more relevant and easier for drivers to apply.
Who requires training
This course is for businesses that employ or contract drivers to convey dangerous goods by road, including drivers of vehicles above 3,500 kg GVM, where training by an approved provider is a legal requirement.
It suits employers who need to:
train new drivers before they start transporting dangerous goods
support drivers applying for, or renewing, a PrDP in the dangerous goods category
bring existing drivers up to standard after an audit, an incident or a change in product
keep a documented, defensible record of driver competence
On-site dangerous goods training for companies
Sending a group of drivers to an external training centre costs you time and resources. On-site training removes most of that disruption.
We can present the dangerous goods course at your depot, plant or site, scheduled around your operations. Training on-site is also more relevant: delegates can work with your own vehicles, placards, documentation and product types instead of generic examples.
On-site training works especially well if you:
need to train several drivers at once
operate from more than one depot
want refresher training rolled out consistently across your fleet
Dangerous goods training locations across South Africa
We offer dangerous goods training nationally. Much of our work is in South Africa's main commercial and logistics hubs: Johannesburg, Pretoria and the wider Gauteng region, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and East London.
We can also support companies in other centres, including Bloemfontein, Pietermaritzburg and Polokwane, subject to arrangement. If your drivers are based at sites in different regions, we can help you plan training across all of them.
Request a quote for dangerous goods training
Whether you need to train a few new drivers or run refresher training across your whole fleet, we will put together a practical training plan for your business.
Yes. Drivers of dangerous goods vehicles above 3,500 kg GVM must be trained by a DoT and TETA-approved training provider. The requirement comes from the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 and the related South African National Standards. For employers, making sure drivers are properly trained is also a key part of managing operational risk and liability.
These terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different things. The certificate proves the driver has completed approved training. The "licence" is the driver's PrDP. Vehicle permits relate to the vehicle and its load.
Term
What it is
Who issues it
Dangerous goods certificate (hazchem certificate)
Proof that a driver has successfully completed an approved dangerous goods course
The training provider
"Dangerous goods licence"
A Professional Driving Permit (PrDP) in the dangerous goods category. The dangerous goods certificate is one of the requirements for applying
The licensing authority
Dangerous goods permits and vehicle documentation
Requirements that apply to the vehicle and the load, separate from the driver's training
Depends on the requirement
Completing a dangerous goods course does not by itself give a driver a PrDP, or vehicle, a permit. It is the training step that supports the driver's PrDP application.
We will confirm the delegate requirements and any documents your drivers need when you request a quote, so there are no surprises on the day. The PrDP application in the dangerous goods category has its own separate requirements, such as medical fitness and minimum age. Completing this course is one part of that process.
Yes. We offer on-site dangerous goods training for companies, scheduled around your operations. This reduces downtime and allows training to include your own vehicles, documentation and products.
The course price depends on the number of delegates, the training location and whether drivers need full or refresher training. We provide quote-based pricing tailored to your business. Send us your requirements for an accurate quote.
