Dangerous goods or hazardous goods (also abbreviated as HAZMAT) are materials in solid, liquid or gas form, which have the potential to cause harm to people, animals, the environment and their means of transport, if they are handled inadequately.
Hazmat goods have specific regulations when it comes to their transportation, may that be via road, sea or air. It is essential to eliminate the risks associated with dangerous materials as much as possible, hence we need to apply safety precautions. There are several national laws in effect in most countries, plus hazmat cargo falls under regulations by international treaties as well, for their safe transport, usage, storage and disposal.
The UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, serves as the groundwork for most regulations on a regional, national and international level. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has incorporated the UN Model into its own set of internationally agreed dangerous goods regulations for air transport of hazardous materials, the so-called ICAO Technical Instructions, with some alterations for the specific features of air transportation.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) provides global standards for documentation and safe handling of dangerous goods in air transport, as well as special hazmat training.
IATA has a strong cooperation with local governments and ICAO in the development of provisions in order to ensure effective rules and guidelines on dangerous goods transportation by air. All IATA regulations are in accordance with the ICAO technical instructions.
IATA’s globally used Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) manual is the basis and standard for shipping hazardous goods by air, recognized by airlines.
When it comes to maritime transportation, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the normative authority for safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. It serves as a regulatory entity in sea transport, and produces the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, also known as the IMDG Code, part of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
The IMDG Code was developed to internationally standardize the transport of dangerous goods. Moreover, this code also prevents the risk of cargo accidents, since it contains a number of conditions set for stowage, packaging, labeling and documentation of the entire shipping process till the cargo reaches the consignee, as well as courses of action in case of accidents or emergency.
The Classes of Dangerous Goods
Dangerous goods or hazardous goods are divided into nine classes (then further subdivided), according to UN Model Regulations. Their classification depends on the nature of the peril they present: explosives, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizing substances, toxic and infectious substances, radioactive material, corrosives and miscellaneous dangerous goods.
The transportation of HAZMAT requires specified packaging and labeling standards and specific training to handle this type of cargo. The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) is an internationally agreed upon system set to replace the various classification and labeling standards used in different countries with the use of hazard pictograms. (See Chart)
As in the maritime transport of dangerous goods, the transportation of hazardous goods shipments by air is also governed by specific regulations and hazmat shipping papers. The so called Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods (DGD) is required for all international shipments of hazardous materials by air. This declaration includes the shipper's name and address; the consignee's name and address; descriptions of each of the dangerous goods, along with their quantity, classification, and packaging; and emergency contact info. IATA issues its own format for air shipments, and so does IMO for sea cargo.
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Rui Pinto is the COO of Multicargo, supervising all the day-to-day operations of the company and contributing to the development of new services and solutions, customized to the clients’ needs. He has been an employee of Multicargo since its establishment in 2010.
