No matter what industry you're in, chances are you'll find yourself shipping something that's classified as a hazardous material. Many products contain elements that can be dangerous if mishandled, and such products are required by law to be transported in a certain way.
But how do you know if these requirements apply to you? What qualifies as a hazardous substance? If you found yourself needing to ship anything, how would you pack and ship them? In this Hazardous Logistics Safety Guide, we provide answers to these questions and some tips for shipping dangerous goods.
Some of the most important safety tips to follow.
1. Get proper training
The Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Act and Regulations deal with the handling and transportation of dangerous goods, whether by road, air, rail or water. It consists of various elements, focusing on aspects such as the composition of dangerous goods, preparation of relevant documentation, reporting of incidents and incidents, and training required for contacts. A company's first priority should be to ensure that anyone involved in the transport of dangerous goods has the correct training and is kept up to date with that training. There are courses specifically designed to train personnel to handle and transport dangerous goods, but laws may vary by region, so check government advice and local regulations to ensure your employees are properly trained in advance. The TDG certificate is generally valid for 3 years, after which retraining is required. Anyone handling unlicensed dangerous goods must be supervised by a witness.
2. Correctly classify dangerous goods
Dangerous goods is an umbrella term covering many different materials and substances. It is important to remember that not all dangerous goods are created equal, and they should be handled and transported in a manner appropriate to the particular type of hazard. TDG divides different types of dangerous goods into 9 categories. these are:
- Class 1: Explosives
- Class 2: Gases
- Class 3: Flammable Liquids
- Class 4: Flammable solids; substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases (water-reactive substances)
- Class 5: Oxidizing Substances and Organic Peroxides
- Class 6: Toxic and Infectious Substances
- Class 7: Radioactive material
- Class 8: Corrosives
- Class 9: Miscellaneous products, substances or organisms (including environmentally hazardous substances)
3. Contact your shipper in advance
Different shipping companies may have different requirements and restrictions when it comes to shipping dangerous goods. The TDG outlines the minimum requirements expected by the legislation, but different shipping lines may take other steps. Therefore, it is always recommended that you contact your shipper beforehand to check the details of how your shipment should be prepared for shipping.
4. Make sure your shipment is properly packaged and labeled
Ensuring that shipments are properly packaged and labelled is absolutely critical. Before attempting packaging or labeling, you should take the time to research the various requirements for the specific hazmat you are shipping. Companies shipping in and out of Canada should ensure that labels comply with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), an international standard that has been adopted by countries around the world.
How should you package hazardous materials?
Given the wide variety of items that can be considered dangerous, you may find that you sometimes need to ship items in one of the above categories. Even if it's not as dangerous as an explosive, it could still be something like perfume or matches.
What should you do when this happens? How should you wrap it? Here are some basics on how to transport dangerous products.
Safe packaging
A good start is to pack all materials as safely as possible. By locking them as securely as you can, you can minimize the risk of any adverse events. For example, with aerosol cans, you should put lids on and wrap them in bubble wrap or other similar material to keep them from rolling.
Take a similar approach with other hazardous materials, storing them safely with plenty of filling so they get as little jostling and nudge as possible during transport. Also, be careful not to pack incompatible items together, such as explosives and oxidizing substances.
In extreme cases, like nuclear or radioactive waste, the material must be stored in a special type of container designed for the substance, like the familiar yellow drums in various movie images. Hopefully most of your materials will be more common and can be packaged in standard boxes and containers. But they still need to be safe, so make sure they are safe!
Label container
After loading materials into containers, be sure to properly label those containers. You'll want to do everything you can to help supply chain workers understand their content. Use appropriate hazmat stickers on the outside of the container. However, try to keep the number of tags out there so as not to distract anyone with too much information.
In addition to marking what the materials are and the hazards they pose, mark how they should be handled. Make sure the shipper knows what to do with them, either through actions such as marking the container "this side up" or by communicating directly with the shipper.
Record everything
In a similar fashion, record everything about the process. Document everything you ship for yourself and the shipper. Document the materials shipped and how they are packaged and labeled. The more information you keep track of, the easier it is for you to deal with anything that might go wrong. In any case, some documents may be required by law, but even if not, you still need to document everything that happens in the process.
Track your package
It is also important to keep track of the materials you ship. At the very least, take advantage of tracking tags so you can track the progress of materials as they stop and keep track of where they are. Even better, you can use a GPS tracker, which allows you to see where your package is at any time. Tracking your package helps keep you informed and prepared in case something goes wrong.
Abide by the law
Of course, while it's a good idea to do all of these things anyway to be on the safe side, in many cases it's required by law -- especially if your package is being transported by plane. Some materials cannot even be legally transported by plane. For those you can ship to, you may still need to follow a few procedures.
The exact nature of what you have to do will vary depending on the type of material, whether it is new or reused, and whether you ship in bulk. Different combinations of these factors will result in different requirements. In some cases, you may have to use UN-spec packaging, which must have internal materials tested to ensure it will work properly before it is allowed to ship.
Why is MSDS required when exporting dangerous goods and general chemicals by sea?
MSDS is an important document for conveying chemical hazard information. It briefly describes the hazards of a chemical to human health and the environment and provides information on the safe handling, storage and use of the chemical. Developed countries such as the United States, Japan, and EU countries have generally established and implemented the MSDS system. According to the chemical management regulations of these countries, manufacturers of hazardous chemicals usually provide a safety data sheet for their products when they sell, transport or export their products.
At present, the foreign requirements for MSDS (SDS) have been extended to almost all chemicals. In this regard, chemicals exported to developed countries are now basically required to have MSDS (SDS) in order to be successfully declared. And some foreign buyers will require MSDS (SDS) of items, and some domestic foreign companies or joint ventures will also request this.
