Dangerous Goods Handling: Why itâs important and how we go about it

Dangerous goods regulations are for the protection of the public in the event of an incident, and in some cases to prevent accidents themselves, which is why a number of the “dangerous” goods that fall under the regulations don’t seem to be too much of a threat to us day to day. However, in the event of a crash, improperly packed dangerous goods, such as aerosols, could cause an explosion and put the driver and other road users at risk.

What can go wrong?

On 3rd September 2010, a UPS cargo plane crashed near Dubai, tragically killing both pilots. Reports after the event suggested that there had been a fire in the cabin, causing the plane to attempt an emergency landing. The cargo contained “many” shipments on board with lithium batteries (highly reactive and flammable); while the authorities found that there were no declared shipments of hazardous materials on the plane.

Although not all examples are as dramatic as this, it does show what can go wrong when dangerous good are improperly packed and procedures aren’t followed correctly.

How do we handle them?

Our Operations Manager, Pete Thornton, is trained in the carriage of dangerous good by air (IATA), road (ADR) and sea (IMDG). He regularly attends seminars and training schemes to keep up to date with any changes in regulations and to refresh his knowledge. Pete is in charge of ensuring that all of our clients’ goods are stored, packed and shipped correctly. Some of the things he takes into account include:

Storage: some dangerous goods need to be kept apart from others - for example you can't have (and wouldn't want to have) explosive materials near anything flammable. Others need to be away from sunlight to avoid a dangerous reaction, or at particular temperatures. We have a temperature controlled white room which can keep our clients’ items at a particular temperature.

Packing: We understand that some products are only allowed in certain quantities: for example, only one battery is permitted per parcel and there can be no more than two aerosols per parcel. The appropriate label must also be showing according to each parcel’s contents.

Shipping: There are different shipping regulations depending on whether you’re shipping by air (IATA), road (ADR) or sea (IMDG) – as well as different State or European laws as well as airline restrictions if you’re shipping abroad. Your courier will use your labels and documentation to help them understand how shipments should be treated – a taster of which are below.

What do the labels mean?

We’ve all seen the labels that come with eCommerce deliveries – but rarely do most people look at them long enough to know exactly what they mean. The labels are extremely important in the fulfilment of dangerous goods because it tells the carrier exactly how the parcel should be treated. Here’s a selection of labels and what they mean:

Explosives Flammable

Oxidiser Toxic

Corrosive Miscellaneous

Need to know more?

As every case is individual (and it’s not always straight forward), we’d love to talk to you personally about how we might treat your goods – and if they’re classified as dangerous or not. Just visit our website www.orbital-response.co.uk, email us at sales@orbital-response.co.uk or call 01233 214 444.