Richard Shreeve, Compliance Manager at Labeline International, highlights the importance of understanding the meaning of hazard labels and placards.

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).

Class 8

Corrosive Substances. In the dangerous goods regulations, corrosive substances are those “…which, by chemical reaction, will cause irreversible damage to the skin or, in the case of leakage, will materially damage or even destroy other goods or the means of transport.” Substances which form a corrosive liquid when in contact with water or a corrosive vapour when in the presence of natural moisture are also classified as Class 8.

Class 9 

Miscellaneous Dangerous Substances and Articles. These present a danger in transit and are not covered by the other hazard classes. Understandably, class 9 covers a wide range of products, including those which:

• May endanger health if inhaled.
  
• Are pollutants.
  
• Can form dioxins in the case of fire.
  
• Could evolve flammable vapour.
  

Life-saving appliances, substances carried with elevated temperatures, dry ice and lithium, including those in cargo transport units all come under Class 9.

The consignor must have received dangerous goods training in their specific function as they are responsible for identifying, classifying, packaging and marking any dangerous goods to be transported. The multi-mode dangerous goods regulations determine the properties that the labels must have, including quality, design and their resistance to the rigours of transport. It is, therefore, imperative to source labels that have been tested and, as a minimum, have BS5609 approval.

Notes:

1. 1. Minor variations in hazard labels which do not affect the obvious meaning of a label are acceptable and should not be a reason for rejecting a consignment.
   
2. 2. A dotted outer boundary is required if a hazard label is applied to a background that is not of a contrasting colour.
   
3. 3. Many products have subsidiary hazards and may require more than one hazard label.
   

NEW DANGEROUS GOODS REGULATIONS FOR 2025

To improve safety, and to evolve with technological advances in industry, the multi-mode dangerous goods regulations are updated every two years. Labeline is the world’s leading authorised distributor of these regulations, and the new publications are available to order now from Labeline. If you are involved with shipping dangerous goods, it is advisable to have the new regulations before they take effect. Check out the special offers at www.labeline.com.

Publications can be supplied as books, with Labeline’s unique DGTabs^© for indexing, or as digital publications. 

For 2025, there will be new UN numbers, including those for Sodium Ion batteries. With the new classification there will be a requirement to display new marks for sodium batteries and sodium batteries in, or packed with, equipment.

Labeline will be exhibiting at the following events before the end of 2024:

• Chemical Hazards Communication Society (CHCS) 
  
• 30th Anniversary event.
  
• VCA’s Dangerous Goods Seminar.
  
• GGS (Leipzig). 
  
• We also attend and present at seminars hosted by;
  
• British Association of Dangerous Goods Professionals (BADGP).
  
• The National CDG Practitioners Forum (CDGPF).
  

About Labeline…

Worldwide, Labeline International has maintained its position as the leading authorised distributor for the regulations covering the transport of dangerous goods by road, rail, sea and air. 

As the only authorised reseller in UK and Ireland for all modes of transport, Labeline is at the forefront of compliance when it comes to dangerous goods and stocks 1,000s of UN, IMO, IATA and ICAO publications.

For more information visit: 

www.labeline.com

Order on line 24-7

Phone: 0870 850 5051 

sales@labeline.com