Dangerous goods safety adviser certificate (CSTMD)

Every company whose activities include consigning, carrying, packing, loading, filling or unloading dangerous goods by road, rail or inland waterway — whatever the sector: chemicals, pharmaceuticals, retail, construction, garages, laboratories, agriculture, logistics. The certificate itself is held by an individual.

What this scheme covers

• C.1A scope chosen by the candidate: one or more transport modes (road ADR, rail RID, inland waterway ADN) and one or more hazard-class domains — the common core of classes 3 to 9 excluding class 7, class 1 (explosives), class 2 (gases), class 7 (radioactive material).
• C.2The duties set out in ADR 1.8.3: checking compliance with the rules applicable to dangerous goods transport, advising the company, writing an annual report for management and drawing up a report in the event of an accident.
• C.3A personal certificate valid for five years, drawn up according to the model in ADR 1.8.3.18 and recognised by the parties to the agreement.
• C.4A national examination run by the CIFMD, entirely online: a case study plus a multiple-choice paper for the initial exam, the multiple-choice paper alone for renewal.

The link with Qualiopi

The certificate belongs to dangerous goods transport regulation, not to vocational training law: Qualiopi plays no part in it. The bridge lies on the provider side: the “safety adviser — dangerous goods transport” certification is listed in France compétences' répertoire spécifique, and a provider preparing candidates for the exam needs Qualiopi certification to draw on public or pooled funding.

The process, summarised

1. 1.Establish whether the company is covered: the test is the activity performed (consigning, carrying, packing, loading, filling, unloading), not the company's size. Exemptions are listed in article 6 of the arrêté TMD.
2. 2.Choose the useful scope of the certificate — the transport modes and hazard classes actually handled — before committing to any preparation.
3. 3.Take a preparatory course: the ADR provides that candidates receive training sanctioned by an examination, and the CIFMD requires a training certificate to be uploaded before the exam.
4. 4.Register for a CIFMD examination session before the closing date, run the required technical test and sit the papers.
5. 5.Declare the appointed adviser — in-house or external — via the online service set up by the ministry responsible for ecological transition.
6. 6.Keep the obligation alive: annual report available before 31 March of the following year and kept for five years, accident report where applicable, and certificate renewal during the year preceding its expiry.

Indicative costTwo separate items: the examination fee, set by the CIFMD according to a published per-session scale, with a reduced rate on production of evidence for jobseekers and students; and the cost of the preparatory course, which varies widely with the scope sought — one mode and the common core cost far less than all modes and all classes.