Transportation of Dangerous Goods: 9 Classifications

Shipping cargo is already a challenging feat on its own. Not only do you have to figure out the logistics of how to get the items from point A to point B without any problems, but you also need to watch out for instances of theft, collisions, or in the case of shipping goods via sea, ‘Act of God’ disasters.

But more than that, you sometimes also need to figure out how to ship certain items safely because they hold a lot of danger within them. The transportation of dangerous goods—such as oils, gases, explosives, flammable solids, or toxic and infectious substances— can cause serious injury or harm to human health if not handled carefully.

Before learning about these classifications in-depth, we must first answer what it means to go about the transportation of dangerous goods safely and how this can affect your business.

Let’s dive in!

Transportation of Dangerous Goods: What Does It Mean?

The transportation of dangerous goods (TDG) is controlled and determined by numerous regulatory agencies. Under Canadian law, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act regulates the shipment of dangerous goods in the country. This law also provides a set of rules that details safety standards and requirements needed to transport thousands of dangerous goods.

Classes of dangerous goods are determined by a consultant or an employee who has been trained in TDG classification. It’s typically done by a person capable of understanding the nature of the item or someone who has expertise in formulating or creating the solutions used by the dangerous good (e.g., a chemist), or a medical practitioner who can correctly identify infectious substances.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to take a closer look into the classifications of dangerous goods.

Class 1: Explosives

Explosives are defined as materials that can rapidly detonate or explode due to a chemical reaction. Such a transformation typically happens when the goods react to an outside charge (or a detonator), resulting in a “shock.” This shock causes molecules to break down and starts the chemical change almost immediately. These types of goods are regulated because explosives can cause catastrophic and unsalvageable damage and could even lead to the loss of human life.

The most common explosives transported include ammunition, fireworks, flares, blasting caps, airbag inflators, rockets, and TNT.

Class 2: Gases

Gases can be considered dangerous if they have a vapour pressure of 300kPa or greater at 50°C or are in a completely gaseous state at 20°C at standard atmospheric pressure. This definition includes compressed, liquefied, dissolved, or refrigerated liquefied gases.

Commonly transported goods include aerosols, compressed air, fire extinguishers, carbon dioxide, or insecticide gases.

Class 3: Flammable Liquids

The transportation of flammable liquids means that you are carrying liquids, mixtures of liquids, or liquids with solids that give off a flammable vapour at temperatures of not more than 60-65°C. Additionally, storage of flammable liquids will be subject to very strict regulations, so keep this in mind if you’re shipping this dangerous item.

Commonly transported flammable liquids usually include gasoline, petrol, diesel fuel, liquid bio-fuels, or gas oils.

Class 4: Flammable Solids, Spontaneous Combustibles, and “Dangerous When Wet” Materials

These classes of dangerous goods are all considered capable of posing serious risks because of their volatile chemical components, combustibility, and potential to produce devastating accidents.

Flammable solids will burn more easily and quickly than ordinary combustible materials like wood or paper. They also produce explosive or toxic gases.

Goods that can spontaneously combust upon contact with oxygen must be kept in airtight packages or, if it’s a liquid, under an inert gas or liquid blanket. These classes of dangerous goods ignite within five minutes of coming into contact with air.

“Dangerous when wet” materials react when they come into contact with water and generate heat because of the chemical reaction.

Class 5: Oxidizing Agents and Organic Peroxides

Oxidizing agents are class 5 dangerous goods because they cause or contribute to combustion by creating oxygen due to a chemical reaction. However, some oxidizers can be explosive, particularly if they’re near the presence of carbon.

Meanwhile, organic peroxides contain carbon that’s linked to a double oxygen bond, which makes the resulting chemical more likely to ignite on its own. These also burn rapidly and are sensitive to explosive decomposition, so they must be refrigerated in a temperature-controlled environment.

Class 6: Toxic and Infectious Substances

Toxic substances can cause death, serious injury, or harm to human health. This happens when it comes into contact with skin, gets swallowed, or is inhaled.

Meanwhile, infectious substances contain pathogens that can cause infectious diseases in humans or animals.

Class 7: Radioactive Material

Radioactive materials mean the items contain radionuclides, which are atoms that have an unstable nucleus and emit radiation. Because of their instability, the atoms have a high chance of spontaneously changing their structure. The resulting radioactive components can damage the human body irreparably, depending on the type of radiation and the duration of the exposure.

Commonly transported materials include radioactive ores and surface-contaminated objects.

Class 8: Corrosives

Corrosive materials are typically characterized by their active chemical compounds that are highly reactive and their ability to change their chemical actions upon contact with other materials.

Examples of corrosive materials include acids or acid solutions, batteries, formaldehyde, and hydrogen fluoride.

Class 9: Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods

These are substances or materials that aren’t covered by other classes of dangerous goods. This category encompasses (but is not limited to) environmentally hazardous materials, substances transported at elevated temperatures, and genetically modified organisms.

Do note that while these items aren’t under specific categories, they still pose a threat to human health and safety. Therefore, freights companies should stay vigilant when handling these materials.

Examples of miscellaneous dangerous goods include dry ice, battery-powered vehicles or equipment, chemical kits, fuel cell engines, blue asbestos, and lithium-ion batteries.

Cargo Insurance in Toronto

Shipping goods can get complicated when not handled delicately, especially when it comes to the transportation of dangerous goods. But don’t let the hassle of logistics and fear of financial liabilities stop you from expanding your business. The solution you need is a reliable insurance policy that’s tailored to your company’s unique needs.

KASE Insurance is one of the leading commercial insurance brokerages in Toronto. We’re an award-winning team of experts ready to provide you with next-level insurance solutions.

If you’re looking for the best partner while you handle your shipping business, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to learn more about our services.