The requirements of the regulations include the de­signation for the purpose of the regulations of a national competent authority.

Competent authority approval certification is re­quired, for example, for package designs of Type В and for packages of fissile material except for some specific exemptions; approval is also required for cer­tain shipments. Special arrangements may be made in respect of consignments which do not fully comply with the regulatory design requirements. These arrange­ments ensure that there is no relaxation in the overall standard of safety. All such special arrangements require competent authority approval. Other require­ments on the competent authority include periodic assessment to ensure that the agency’s radiation safety standards [15] are being complied with.

Consignors are required to establish quality assur­ance programmes covering all aspects of transport activities, including package design, manufacture and use, in order to ensure that the regulations are being complied with. A corresponding responsibility is placed on the competent authority in respect of compliance assurance.