The draft Guidance applies to the great majority of containers that are used for international freight except for those specifically designed for carriage by air. The scope is limted to containers of a minimum prescribed size having corner fittings.

Draft Approval of freight containers -Arrangements in Great Britain (the Green Guide)

This draft Guidance along with the Draft Freight Containers (Safety Convention) Regulations 2017 and Draft Freight container examination schemes or programmes - Conditions for approval (the Yellow guide), which are separately notified, implement the UK (in GB) obligations under the International Convention for Safe Containers, 1972, as amended by resolutions MSC.310 (88) and resolution MSC.355(92) (“C.S.C.”).

Regulations 4 and 5 of the draft Freight Containers (Safety Convention) Regulations 2017 impose a condition that a container must have a valid approval issued by the Health and Safety Executive or by a person or an organisation which it has appointed for that purpose, or by or under the authority of a foreign Government which has acceded to the C.S.C.

This draft Guidance sets out the arrangements for the approval of containers in Great Britain.

A container design must be approved and satisfy all the appropriate technical testing requirements set out in Annex II of the C.S.C or, if appropriate to the design in question, those tests specified by International Standard 1496 (ISO 1496), being tests which are equivalent to those specified in the C.S.C. For new container series the manufacturers are required to have control measures in place to ensure the series comply with the safety and testing requirements in the C.S.C.

Approved containers are required to display a valid safety approval plate. The content and form of the safety approval plate is set out in the draft Freight Containers (Safety Convention) Regulations 2017.

Paragraphs 11 to 28 set out the requirements for an approval.

In accordance with the C.S.C. Containers operated in the GB area may be subject to restrictions where there is significant evidence for believing that the condition of the container is such as to create an obvious risk to safety. Restrictions might include an immediate out of service determination. Such restrictions may only be imposed by an authorised Health and Safety Executive officer. See paragraph 36.