List of RID interpretations

At its 13th session in November 2021, the RID Committee of Experts’ standing working group decided to publish on OTIF’s website a list of interpretations of certain provisions of the Regulation concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID). The list contains interpretations that do not lead to amendments to the Regulation itself.

At each meeting of the standing working group, the Member States have the opportunity to ask questions concerning the interpretation of RID. These questions are dealt with under a standing agenda item. Some of these questions lead to amendments to the text of RID. For other questions, however, an explanation in the report of the standing working group is considered sufficient.

In order to avoid a time-consuming search of the reports of the standing working group, the following list is provided:

  • Provisions of Chapter 4.4 for the use of fibre-reinforced plastics tank-containers
    At its 15th session (Berne/hybrid, 23 and 24 November 2022) the RID Committee of Experts’ standing working group confirmed that the provisions of Chapter 4.4 in force until 31 December 2022 remained applicable to fibre-reinforced plastics tank-containers used in accordance with transitional measure 1.6.4.59 (see paragraph 13 of report OTIF/RID/CE/GTP/2022-B).

 

  • Application of RID 5.3.1.2 to the affixing of placards to swap bodies

At its 16th session (London, 20 to 23 November 2023), the RID Committee of Experts’ standing working group confirmed that RID 5.3.1.2 also applies to the affixing of placards to swap bodies (see paragraph 25 and annex III of the report OTIF/RID/CE/GTP/2023-A).

Interpretation:      5.3.1.2 also applies to the affixing of placards to swap bodies.

Justification:        Among other things, 5.3.1.2 governs the affixing of placards to large containers.

According to the definitions in 1.2.1

–     a large container is a container which does not meet the definition of a small container,

–     a small container is a container which has an internal volume of not more than 3 m3 and

–     a swap body is also a container, but it does have certain particular construction characteristics specific to land transport.

Consequently, as swap bodies are considered not only as containers, but as large containers because they have an internal volume of more than 3 m3, they are subject to the provisions of 5.3.1.2.”