Shipping Dangerous Goods - Health and Safety Issues

When transporting hazardous materials, you need to be aware of the class your items belong to and the quantity restrictions in place. You may use this information to establish the necessary documentation, packing, and labeling requirements and the appropriate transit options.

The Term "Dangerous Goods" Refers to What Exactly?

Although it is not something that frequently enters our heads, a significant number of the items that are part of our daily lives provide hazards to the aircraft.

Any chemical or item that, when conveyed in commercial settings, has the potential to provide an unjustifiable risk to people's health, safety, and property is considered a dangerous good, sometimes referred to as a hazardous material or hazmat.

Examples of things that fall under the category of "hazardous products" include dry ice, lithium batteries, and aerosol whipped cream.

These items could appear to be risk-free, but if they are carried by air, there is a significant possibility that they will pose a threat. If these materials are not handled correctly, they may leak, produce hazardous fumes, start a fire, or even explode if subjected to vibrations, static electricity, and fluctuations in temperature and pressure.

The first step in mitigating the hazards is recognizing that the product is dangerous to users.

Getting a "Safety Data Sheet" (SDS) from the product's manufacturer and looking at the section labeled "Transportation Information" is a great place to start if you're trying to figure out whether or not the item you're working with might potentially be hazardous.

Quantity Limits

Some commonplace goods, such as perfume, food flavorings, soaps, detergents, dyes, and cosmetics, may be considered "dangerous" or "hazardous" if specified quantity guidelines are broken.

Even though it might not seem unsafe, receiving a massive shipment of perfume bottles could jeopardize your safety. However, a low-quantity perfume spray you can pack into a travel bag is probably safe.

Trained Members of Staff

To comply with the regulations, personnel who handle dangerous commodities are required to get the necessary training. Included in the category of workers who handle hazardous materials are those who:

• Handle potentially unsafe materials when loading and unloading cargo.
• Get these materials ready for shipment.
• Conduct operations on vehicles that are used to convey these materials.
• Design, check, repair, or test packaging for hazardous products.

Check with your government to see if you must have a dangerous goods safety consultant if you transport products overseas.

A Guide to the Shipping of Dangerous Goods

According to the Hazardous Materials Regulations, you, the shipper, are responsible for correctly classifying, packaging, and labeling the item to identify the hazard before delivering a dangerous commodity to an air carrier for shipping.

If you send flammable liquids or dangerous items (such as lithium batteries or other battery-powered gadgets), follow these procedures to verify that your cargo is packed and labeled appropriately.

Before you deliver your shipment of dangerous products to an air carrier, you should always verify with that carrier to see whether they have any extra carrier-specific restrictions.

Step 1: Access the goods before shipping

In assessing whether or not an item you are sending might be considered a dangerous good, look at the item's Safety Data Sheet (SDS).

In most cases, the producer of the items will be able to provide you with an SDS. You may then examine the portion of the document titled "Transportation Information."

Step 2: Determine if the goods are dangerous

If you are unsure if an item is a dangerous good, the FAA recommends conducting a Needs Assessment and Needs Analysis to determine which employees at your company will be performing a hazmat check and identify the level of training required by the regulations.

Step 3: Ensure you have a hazmat-trained employee

According to the 49 CFR, a hazmat employee is expected to get ongoing training at least once every three years. The recurring hazardous materials training requirements in Part 1, Chapter 4, Section 4.3 of the ICAO TI (Technical Instructions) state that the training "must take place within 24 months after initial training to guarantee that knowledge is up to date."

Step 4: If a product is deemed hazardous

Have a trained employee look up the material in the Hazardous Materials Table or the ICAO TI. Then, depending on whether or not it is required, that employee will determine the authorized quantities permitted to be shipped, the required labels, and the allowable packaging following the 49 CFR, Part 173, or the applicable ICAO TI packing instruction.

Step 5: Check if a specific packing is required

Ensure the packing material is enough for your shipments. You may need to package the hazardous substance according to UN standards. However, that depends on which packing category the material is in.

The Packing Group is a categorization based on the level of danger posed by hazardous materials or dangerous items. The performance level indicates the criterion that must be met for the package to pass testing successfully:

• Packing Group I - Very Dangerous - Used for packaging that passes the Packing Group I, II, and III tests.
• Packing Group II - Danger of Moderate Severity - Used for packaging that has passed the Packing Group II and III tests.
• Packaging Group III – Some Risk - Used for packing that has passed the Packing Group III test.

Step 6: Ensure the package is properly sealed

If UN-Specification packaging is necessary, make sure you read the directions for the package closing very carefully and get all of the supplies that are indicated in the specifications, such as tape, zip ties, poly bags, and so on.

Step 7: Check labeling requirements

After getting the necessary packaging, the following step is to gather the essential hazard communication, such as markings, labels, and shipping paper/shippers declaration.

Most of the time, the package must be labeled with the Proper Shipping Name, the United Nations Number, the shipper's or consignee's name, and the address on the same surface as the label.

Step 8: Label appropriately

Label and make a mark on the package.

Step 9: Combination packages

If you are utilizing a combination package, insert the item in its inner packaging following the directions.

The inner packaging should then be placed into the external packaging and sealed according to the instructions provided.

Step 10: Attach the shipping label

After filling out the shipping label, adhere it to the outside of the box in a spot that is not blocked by anything else. Take, for instance, the Guidance for Shipper's Declaration.

Step 11: Ready to go

Your shipment is now ready to be dispatched.

Step 12: Keep documents safe

Store the Shipper's Declaration in the appropriate location for a minimum of two years.

Conclusion

While exporting dangerous commodities might be challenging, it doesn't have to be difficult. There are several options for sending hazardous items safely and securely.

Just keep in mind to adhere to the guidelines provided above. If you need to ship anything potentially dangerous, contact us at A1 Auto Transport. We make it our business to stay up to date on the latest developments in the shipping industry. Contact us anytime to learn about our comprehensive range of shipping services.