CHEMICAL TRANSPORT

Hazardous goods are transported either by road, inland waterways, sea, rail, or air. During transportation, an accident might occur resulting in chemical spillage and potential exposure to man and the environment. UN recommendations have been absorbed by regulatory bodies governing various transport means.  The regulatory bodies are listed below;

• ADR-  The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road 
• ADN- The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland waterways
• IMDG- United Nations Specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and prevention of marine pollution by ships. 
• ICAO/IATA- Covers the transportation of chemicals by Air

ADR

There are 6 classes of dangerous goods listed in the ADR with each have several sub-classes and are allocated packing groups in accordance with the defree of toxicity. 

1. Explosives 
2. Gases
3. Flameable Liquid 
4. Flameable solids
5. Oxidizing Substances 
6. Toxic Substances 
7. Radioactive Substances 
8. Corrosives
9. Micellaneous Dagenrous Substances and Articles. 

In other to classify a substances according to its appropriate category, the substances or Mixtures are tested. If a sunbstance classificed in accordance with the CLP regulation 1272/2008, usualy the test data can also be used for transport classification. However, there are some differences between classification for Transport and the CLP, not all hazard class in the CLP is considered for transport classification, for example, 

• Only toxic substances are classifed for transport. Toxicity data relating to H302, H312, and H332 are not considered for transport classification
• Eye corrosion is not consider for class 8 classification for transport concentrates on Skin and metal corrosion 
• Class 9 for environmental toxicity considers data for Aquatic Acute 1, Chronic 1 and 2 only 

Responsibility flow during tansport of hazardous goods

Consignor     - Carrier-      Consignee

Filler            -Packer            - Loader            - Driver        - Unloader        - DGSA.

Each party must be identified and thier responsibility communicated by the organisation by training before they start the job, refreshers training during the job and records kept. Compliance must be met at all stages of transportation otherwise the consignee has the right to refuse non compliant goods with good reasons. 

The Dangerous goods safety adviser, DGSA, for any organisation must assume responsiblity in every area as required.