Transport Canada has posted an Amendment 8 proposal on its website.

Here are some of the proposed changes:

• Take the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations to the 15th Edition of the UN Recommendations (model regulations), not including Chapter 1.4 (Security Provisions) and provision 7.2.4 (Security provisions for transport by road, rail and inland waterway). (about time)
• Several changes to Part 3 Documentation and Part 4 Dangerous Goods Safety Marks in relation to Special Provision 23 where "Toxic Inhalation Hazard" must be added.
• New Class 5.2 Organic Peroxides safety mark of the red top half and yellow bottom half will now be permitted with the safety mark becoming mandatory January 1, 2011.
• A safety mark is added – Environmentally Hazardous Substance which has the dead fish and tree symbol (but there is no text associated with this safety mark)
• Dangerous goods list: revoking a number of entries (~34)
• Dangerous goods list: altering entries
• Dangerous goods list: adding entries (+125)
• Sch. 2: several amendments to current special provisions
• Sch. 2: addition of 13 special provisions
• Sch.2: several special provisions replaced

The complete document can be viewed at the Transport Canada website at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/tdg/clear/modifications/amendment8.htm.

Again this is going to be a big amendment to the TDG regulations. Why can’t Transport Canada have a regular fixed schedule for updating the regulations? ICAO is every two years; the IMDG is every two years, so why can’t Canada be a fixed schedule? Would it not make sense that just after the UN Recommendations come out that the TDG regulations be brought up to date? We have to do it for international shipment – air and marine, so why not TDG?

What are your thoughts? Let’s hear what you have to say.