thumb|right|An Emergency Medical Technician team training as rescue (grey suits) and decontamination (green suits) responders to hazardous material and toxic contamination situations.Dangerous goods, also called
hazardous materials or
HazMat ("HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods), are
solids,
liquids, or
gases that can harm people, other living
organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to
chemical regulations. Dangerous goods include materials that are
radioactive,
flammable,
explosive,
corrosive,
oxidizing,
asphyxiating,
biohazardous,
toxic,
pathogenic, or
allergenic. Also included are physical conditions such as compressed gases and liquids or hot materials, including all goods containing such materials or chemicals, or may have other characteristics that render them hazardous in specific circumstances. The colours of each diamond in a way has reference to its hazard ie: Flammable = red, Explosive = orange, because mixing red (flammable) with yellow (oxidising agent) creates orange. Non Flammable Non Toxic Gas = green, due to all compressed air vessels being this colour in
France after World War II. France is where the diamond system of HazMat identification originated.
Mitigating the risks associated with hazardous materials may require the application of safety precautions during their
transport, use, storage and
disposal. Most countries regulate hazardous materials by law, and they are subject to several international treaties as well. Even so, different countries may use different class diamonds for the same product. For example, in Australia, Anhydrous Ammonia UN 1005 is classified as 2.3 (Toxic Gas) with sub risk 8 (Corrosive), where as in the U.S. it is only classified as 2.2 (Non Flammable Gas).
Persons who handle dangerous goods will often wear protective equipment, and metropolitan
fire departments often have a response team specifically trained to deal with accidents and spills. Persons who may come into contact with dangerous goods as part of their work are also often subject to monitoring or health surveillance to ensure that their exposure does not exceed
occupational exposure limits.
Laws and regulations on the use and handling of hazardous materials may differ depending on the activity and status of the material. For example, one set of requirements may apply to their use in the workplace while a different set of requirements may apply to spill response, sale for consumer use, or transportation. Most countries regulate some aspect of hazardous materials.
The most widely applied regulatory scheme is that for the transportation of dangerous goods. The
United Nations Economic and Social Council issues the
UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, which form the basis for most regional and national regulatory schemes. For instance, the
International Civil Aviation Organization has developed regulations for air transport of hazardous materials that are based upon the UN Model but modified to accommodate unique aspects of air transport. Individual airline and governmental requirements are incorporated with this by the
International Air Transport Association to produce the widely used
IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Similarly, the
International Maritime Organization has developed the
International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code ("IMDG Code", part of the
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) for transportation on the high seas, and the
Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail has developed the
Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail ("RID", part of the
Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail). Many individual nations have also structured their dangerous goods transportation regulations to harmonize with the UN Model in organization as well as in specific requirements.
Dangerous goods are divided into classes on the basis of the specific chemical characteristics producing the risk.
Note: The graphics and text in this article representing the dangerous goods safety marks are derived from the United Nations-based system of identifying dangerous goods. Not all countries use precisely the same graphics (label,
placard and/or text information) in their national regulations. Some use graphic symbols, but without English wording or with similar wording in their national language. Refer to the Dangerous Goods Transportation Regulations of the country of interest.
For example, see the in the Canadian .
The statement above applies equally to all the Dangerous Goods classes discussed in this article.
Classification and labeling summary tables
Other hazardous materials labels (CHIP)
Australia
Australia uses the standard international UN numbers with a few slightly different signs on the back, front and sides of vehicles carrying hazardous substances. The country uses the same "HAZCHEM" as the UK HAZCHEM Code to provide advisory information to emergency services personnel in the event of an emergency situation.
Canada
Transportation of dangerous goods (hazardous materials) in
Canada by road is normally a provincial jurisdiction. The federal government has jurisdiction over air, most marine, and most rail transport. The federal government acting centrally created the federal transportation of dangerous goods act and regulations, which provinces adopted in whole or in part via provincial transportation of dangerous goods legislation. The result is that all provinces use the federal regulations as their standard within their province; some small variances can exist because of provincial legislation. Creation of the federal regulations was coordinated by
Transport Canada. Hazard classifications are based upon the UN Model.
The province of Nova Scotia's dangerous goods transportation act can be viewed at:
The province of Nova Scotia's dangerous goods transportation regulations can can be viewed at:
The federal government's Transport Dangerous Goods website is located at:
Outside of federal facilities, labour standards are generally under the jurisdiction of individual provinces and territories. However, communication about hazardous materials in the workplace has been standardized across the country through
Health Canada's
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS).
Europe
The
European Union has passed numerous
directives and regulations to avoid the dissemination and restrict the usage of hazardous substances, the most famous being the
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive and the
REACH regulation. There are also long standing European treaties such as
ADR and RID that regulate the transportation of hazardous materials by road, rail, river and inland waterways, following the guide of the UN Model Regulation.
European law distinguishes clearly between the law of dangerous goods and the law of hazardous materials. The first refers primarily to the transport of the respective goods including the interim storage, if caused by the transport. The latter describes the requirements of storage (including warehousing) and usage of hazardous materials. This distinction is important, because different directives and orders of European law are applied.
In the UK, if you are involved in dangerous goods, you should be aware of the Dangerous Goods Emergency Action Code (EAC) List.
The Dangerous Goods Emergency Action Code (EAC) List is reviewed every two years and is an essential compliance document for all emergency services, local government and for those who may control the planning for, and prevention of, emergencies involving dangerous goods. The printed version of the book can be purchased from TSO directly (ISBN 9780113413263) or downloaded as a free PDF file from NCEC’s website.
United States
A picture of the U.S. DOT classes in use.
Due to the increased threat of
terrorism in the early 21st century, particularly after the
September 11, 2001 attacks, funding for greater HAZMAT-handling capabilities was increased throughout the
United States, in recognition of the fact that flammable, poisonous, explosive, or radioactive substances in particular could make attractive weapons for terrorist attacks.
The
United States Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates hazmat transportation within the territory of the US. The regulations are found in (Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations).
The U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates the handling of hazardous materials in the workplace as well as response to hazardous materials-related incidents, most notably through
HAZWOPER (
Hazardous
Waste
Operations and
Emergency
Response) regulations found at 29 FR 1910.120.
In 1984 the joint agency OSHA, EPA, USCG, NIOSH effort published the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Guidance Manual[4][5]Chicago Safety Institute Live HAZWOPER Training HAZWOPER Training has this guidance manual for free from and provides basic telephone support for the document it can also be purchased from the US Government Printing Office Pub. 85-115.
The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates hazardous materials as they may impact the community and environment, including specific regulations for environmental cleanup and for handling and disposal of waste hazardous materials.
The
Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates hazardous materials that may be used in products sold for household and other consumer uses.
Hazard classes for materials in transport
Following the UN Model, the DOT divides regulated hazardous materials into nine classes, some of which are further divided into divisions. Hazardous materials in transportation must be placarded and have specified
packaging and labelling. Some materials must always be placarded, others may only require placarding in certain circumstances.
Trailers of goods in transport are usually marked with a four digit
UN number. This number can be referenced by first responders (
Firefighters,
Police Officers, and
ambulance personnel) who can find information about the material in the
Emergency Response Guidebook.
Fixed facilities
Different standards usually apply for handling and marking HAZMATs at fixed facilities, including
NFPA 704 diamond markings (a consensus standard often adopted by local governmental jurisdictions), OSHA regulations requiring chemical safety information for employees, and CPSC requirements requiring informative labeling for the public, as well as wearing
Hazmat suits when handling hazardous materials.
Packing groups
Packing groups are used for the purpose of determining the degree of protective packaging required for Dangerous Goods during transportation.
- Group I: great danger, and most protective packaging required
- Group III: least danger among regulated goods, and least protective packaging within the transportation requirements
Transport documents
One of the transport regulations is that, as an assistance during emergency situations, written instructions how to deal in such need to be carried and easily accessible in the driver’s cabin.
See also
Additional reading
- Shipper's Guide to Loading and Securement of Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods in Intermodal Equipment-Highway, Rail and Water, October 1999, Institute of Packaging Professionals
- ASTM D4919-03 Standard Specification for Testing of Hazardous Materials Packagings
