www.truckandtrack.com Autumn 2024 Truck and Track 55 DANGEROUS GOODS Dangerous Goods: What do those labels mean? Part 2 - Hazard Classes 1-9 Richard Shreeve, Compliance Manager at Labeline International, highlights the importance of understanding the meaning of hazard labels and placards Labeline’s Compliance Manager Richard Shreeve We have all seen the diamond labels on packages and vehicle placards that indicate the hazards of the products concerned when in transit. Quite often, there are no words, just images and numbers – so, what do they signify? Dangerous goods classes All dangerous goods are allocated a UN number, and often a Packing Group, based on a product’s characteristics and level of hazard. These are shown in the Dangerous Goods List in the regulations for each mode of transport. From the DG List, you are guided to the specific packaging and shipping requirements for each UN number. Each UN number falls into one, or more, of the nine different hazard classes, some of which have divisions, as shown in the following guidance. The descriptions and warnings emphasise the importance of handling the products correctly and highlight the, sometimes rather scary, consequences should there be an incident – especially when large quantities are involved. In the Summer 2024 Edition of Truck and Track we focused on hazard classes 1-5. Now we take a look at classes 6-9. Class 6.1 Toxic Substances. Class 6.1 covers solids and liquids that are known to cause death, injury or damage to human health if swallowed, inhaled or come into contact with skin. Class 6.2 Infectious Substances. These are substances which are “…known or are reasonably expected to contain pathogens. Pathogens are defined as microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi) and other agents such as prions, which can cause disease in humans or animals.” Class 6.2 has 2 categories: Category A: Substances that can cause permanent disability, life-threatening or fatal disease. Category B: Infectious substances which do not meet the criteria for Category A. These substances must be assigned to UN3373. Class 7 Radioactive Material. Any material containing radionuclides where both the activity concentration and the total activity in the consignment exceed values specified in the dangerous good regulations. There is a graded approach to radioactive material transport packages. This means that, as the potential hazard associated with radioactive material increases, so do the requirements for package robustness, labelling, vehicle placarding and emergency planning. Packages classified as Category I will have the lowest dose rate / risk - Category III has the highest. Some packages are permitted to contain fissile material, for example uranium and plutonium, which is material that can, under specific conditions, generate large amounts of heat and radiation through fission (when atoms are split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy).
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