by Jim Henry on August 29, 2011 at 8:00 am · in Jim's Blog
Did you know that if you are shipping your dangerous goods in bags or sacks, you may not be compliant with TDG Regulations?
In Part 4 of TDG, section 4.10(3) states that a label must be displayed on any side of the means of containment other than the side on which it is to rest or be stacked. Most bags of fertilizer etc. that I have seen have the safety marks on the “front” side of the bag. When these bags are loaded onto a skid, the side that has the safety marks now supports a bag that has been placed on it, or in other words, the bags are stacked on the skid. Or if the bags are placed “face” down on the skid, then this side is the side intended to rest. This now means that the safety marks are on the wrong side of the bag.
In order to be compliant with this section, it would mean affixing your dangerous goods safety marks to the narrow edge of the bag. If you feel that this cannot be done on your bags, you may want to consider applying for a Certificate of Equivalency from Transport Canada or discussing this further with a Transport Canada inspector.
Many workers are unaware of chemicals that create potential hazards in their work environment, making them more vulnerable to exposure and injury.
What is a chemical?
All matter is composed of chemical elements. Chemicals that put people at risk in the workplace are known as hazardous materials. A wide variety of man-made and natural chemicals used in industry and manufacture can be hazardous. These include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, polymers, acids and petrochemicals to name a few. Other substances not commonly regarded as chemicals or hazardous materials may also put people at risk in the workplace, these include such substances as sawdust, brick dust, cleaners and paints. Risk levels can vary according to substances. Some chemicals may cause irritation, allergic reactions or sensitization; others may be flammable, corrosive or explosive. In some cases, chemicals can cause sickness and even death. The effects caused by hazardous materials are not always immediate. Some may put users at risk months and even years after contact, especially if the exposure was extensive.
Increasing awareness is believed to be the most effective way of preventing and reducing sickness and injury from hazardous materials. What potentially hazardous materials are being used in your workplace? They may be obvious, like pharmaceuticals, pesticides and industrial chemicals. They may be solid, liquid or gas. They may be ordinary substances such as paints or cleaning agents. Question the role of any hazardous material in the workplace. Is the chemical really necessary? How hazardous is the substance, and how could it constitute a hazard? If it could enter the body, would it be through the skin, stomach, lungs, or other avenues? What precautions are necessary for its safe handling, use and storage? Are these precautions being taken? How hazardous is the substance?
In Canada and the US, information on chemicals in the workplace must be provided with each product. Containers must be labelled with the required information so that the substance may be used safely. The information has to come from the supplier or importer.
MSDS’s are Material Safety Data Sheets that are provided in addition to the required labelling. The supplier or importer is responsible for providing this document for each product, with details on the identity of the substance, health hazard information, and precautions for safe use and handling. If an MSDS is not supplied, ask for one ~ they should be supplied on request.
Make The Job Safe
Chemicals and hazardous materials in the workplace need not be dangerous if used safely. Awareness of possible risks, even from ordinary substances, can help save sickness, discomfort and lost productivity. Information is the key to awareness of hazardous substances, with proper information and training, safe precautions can be taken. Co-operation and consultation will benefit both employer and employee, and lead to safe and effective use of chemicals in the workplace.
ICC has become a leader in providing supplies and services to hazardous materials shippers throughout North America and around the world. Whether you need training programs, labels or MSDS services, your one stop shop is ICC The Compliance Center Inc.
Most people thinking of “hazardous materials,” picture trucks full of chemicals, factories, dumps oozing slime, and by-products of our synthetic society. Actually, you need look no farther than under your kitchen sink or in your garage to find hazardous materials. Surprised? Every home can be a warehouse of hazardous materials. We spend millions of dollars annually on cleaning projects to scrub, scour, soak, dust, wash, wax and disinfect our homes. Unfortunately, if used improperly, these products can endanger our health, the air quality in our homes, pollute the environment and the water we drink. The average household contains between 3 and 10 gallons of materials that are hazardous. Let’s look at what is considered hazardous and why.
A few common corrosives include: metal cleaners with phosphoric acid; drain cleaners that contain sulfuric acid; spot rust removers with hydrofluoric acid and drain cleaners and oven cleaners containing sodium hydroxide. All of these are hazardous to the skin–they are also hazardous to the environment. Corrosive means capable of dissolving or wearing away gradually, especially by chemical action. Corrosive hazardous materials are those that, in the wrong container, eat through the container. A simple example is putting paint thinner in a plastic cup–the cup dissolves right before your eyes!
Around the house you may also have flammable and combustible materials used for multiple purposes. Flammable materials are substances that will catch fire and easily burn at normal temperatures, while combustible products may catch fire if ignited or exposed to flame. Gasoline is not the only flammable and combustible product you may find at home. Other substances that can cause serious damage or fire are diesel fuel, propane, butane, turpentine, kerosene, lighter fluid, paint solvents, oil, spray paint, pesticides, dry cleaning agents and cleaning fluids, nail polish, perfume, and more. Many of these items indicate “do not store near heat” or “keep in cool, dry place.”
Reactive materials are those which during routing handling tend to react spontaneously, to react vigorously with air or water, to be unstable to shock or heat, to generate toxic gases, or to explode. Reactive is not to be confused with “radioactive” which means “radiation emitted as a consequence of a nuclear reaction.” Reactive processes can best be illustrated by the simple process of putting vinegar into a container with baking soda. Some drain cleaners rely on the reactive process. They may contain sodium bisulfate which, when mixed with water, makes a weak sulfuric acid. Bleach and many scrubbing and dishwashing detergents contain chlorine bleach and if put in contact with ammonia, lye or acids will form a toxic gas (CL2).
By far the most identifiable of hazardous material signs is the skull and crossbones indicating “poison.” Toxic materials are those that may release poisons in sufficient quantities to pose a substantial hazard to human health. Most cupboards and closets are full of toxic materials. From air fresheners to carpet deodorizers, medicines to vitamins, mothballs to oven cleaners, the potential poisons are numerous. The “toxic” quality is assumed by ingestion (swallowing), dermal intake (through the skin) or inhalation of the chemicals in a quantity sufficient to cause harmful effects. The materials themselves can often be used safely and can be very beneficial or necessary to the body (as in the case of some vitamins or medicines).
Many hazardous materials may present two, three or more hazards. As an example, an acid is corrosive, it can be toxic if ingested, and when it meets chlorine it is reactive.
There are probably many hazardous materials throughout your home. Take a tour of your home to see where these materials are located. Once you have located a product, check the label and take the necessary steps to ensure that you are using, storing, and disposing of the material according to the manufacturer’s directions. It is critical to store household chemicals in places where children cannot access them. Remember that products such as aerosol cans of hair spray and deodorant, nail polish and nail polish remover, toilet bowl cleaners, and furniture polishes all fall into the category of hazardous materials.
Now, those hazardous materials must go somewhere. The container, when empty, is rarely completely empty. When the paint thinner has been used, or when the oil has been drained, it must go somewhere. All hazardous materials have the potential for becoming hazardous waste. These materials and eventual wastes are dangerous to people and animals; the dangers of explosion, fire, or reaction are constant in their storage. Check your local household hazardous waste programs.
How much do you know about hazardous materials in your home? Take this quiz from Carefirst Blue Cross and find out.
On June 4, 2011, Mexico became the first NAFTA member to adopt the GHS as a basis for national health and safety regulations, by proclaiming a new Mexican standard, NMX-R-019-SCFI-2011.
This standard will be based on the Purple Book (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals), published by the United Nations. However, unlike the changes planned for the United States and Canada, this standard is voluntary. It will allow use of the GHS to be in compliance with the existing standard NOM-018-STPS-2000, which covers classification, labeling and safety data sheets. Suppliers may, however, choose to remain in compliance with the existing standard, without updating to GHS.
Unfortunately, there has not yet been an English translation of this new standard published. Further information (in Spanish) can be found at:
In June of 2011, the fourth revised edition of the UN’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS, Rev.4) was issued.
The changes in the latest revision include two new hazard categories : chemically unstable gases and non-flammable aerosols. These new categories account for hazards not previously addressed where special precautions are needed when handling, storing or transporting these items. Acetylene, a commonly used welding gas is an example of a ‘chemically unstable gas’. Acetylene is unstable and can explode without an ignition source at pressures as low as 25 psi (172 kPa). For that reason, Acetylene is normally sold ‘dissolved’ in porous Acetone to allow for higher pressures. Additionally, a non-flammable aerosol, still presents a pressurization hazard and can explode if heated, even though it is not technically ‘flammable’.
The 4th Revised Purple Book provides additional clarification of some of the hazard criteria, such as for gases under pressure or mixture cutoffs for Category 1 Carcinogens; and further rationalization of precautionary statements, such as ‘P251 – Do not pierce or burn, even after use’ for non-flammable aerosols as well as flammable aerosols.
Also added, is a new special labelling arrangement for materials that are only corrosive to metals and not corrosive to the skin and eyes. The new option for the Competent Authority is to allow the hazard pictogram for the ‘Corrosive to metals’ category to be dropped on the label for a product that is in the finished state and packaged for consumer use.
These changes in the 4th Revised Edition will still require implementation in those Countries or Agencies that have implemented, or have begun to implement, the GHS into current systems.
For further information on all of the revisions in the 4th Revised Purple Book, please consult the United Nations Economic Commission (UNEC) website at:
If you have any questions regarding the changes in the 4th Revised Purple Book, or on the GHS, please contact ICC Compliance Center Inc at 1-888-442-9628 (USA) or 1-888-977-4834 (Canada).
