Transportation of dangerous goods is not similar to transporting conventional items. Hazardous goods pose a great risk to the environment and public health and transporting them is delicate task requiring utmost precaution. There are many procedures for transporting hazardous goods and adherence to the rules and regulations is a must for successful transits of such goods.
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| Transporting Hazardous Goods |
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Classification: First of all, the class of hazardous goods that are being transported need to be identified in order to determine the risk factors and possible harmful effects. The various classes are as follows.
Class 1- Explosives are Class 1 hazardous goods.
Class 2- Hazardous gases come under this class. Gases in compressed, liquefied, deeply refrigerated or dissolved forms are all included in this class.
Class 3- Combustible and flammable liquids come under Class 3.
Class 4- Flammable things which tend to combust spontaneously self-react or emit flammable/ toxic gases on exposure to water.
Class 5- Oxidizing substances such as crude peroxides.
Class 6- Toxic as well as infectious materials.
Class 7- All Radioactive materials
Class 8- Acidic substances
Class 9- Other substances considered dangerous for health and environment.
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Transportation: The most important aspect of transporting hazardous goods is safe containment of the hazardous goods throughout the journey. Appropriate tank, container or other type of storage is selected on the basis of the class of the hazardous material as mentioned before. The container used for transporting the hazardous material must have the correct signage to make everyone aware of the class of hazardous goods being transported. The tank or container must be compliant with all the safety regulations governing the storage of hazardous materials. A proper inspection by experts is also necessary to detect and resolve defects that may be present in them. Road, rail or seas can be used to transport hazardous goods.
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Safety Equipment’s: Vehicles transporting hazardous goods by road must be equipped with fire extinguishers to contain fire damage in case of accidental fires. Safety equipment to contain leak and spills of hazardous materials must also be at hand for immediate deployment.
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Trained Drivers: The drivers must be adequately trained to implement standard procedures to secure the hazardous goods in case of accidents or other mishaps. They are also required to hold a valid certificate attesting to their training.
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Route Planning: Route planning is an important task for companies transporting hazardous goods by road vehicles. The aim is to determine the safest roads suitable for dangerous goods transportation. Highways and other major roads are usually taken for transporting hazardous goods. Town centres, heavily populated areas and congested areas are avoided by drivers transporting hazardous goods. This is especially true for vehicles transporting toxic gases which may release into the atmosphere in the event of spills or accidents. Roads passing through the vicinity of schools, hospitals and residential areas are also avoided for safety reasons. Tunnels are also avoided while transporting hazardous goods. Restricted roads are also not taken by vehicles transporting dangerous goods.
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| Transporting Hazardous Goods |
The route should also not pass through water catchment areas. Water catchment areas are the water bodies from where public drinking water supplies are extracted. Hazardous substances getting into these water bodies due to accidents or other causes can cause poisoning of the water supply. Therefore, it is essential to keep the hazardous goods away from such places. Ecologically fragile places must also not be included in the route.
It is incumbent upon loaders to ensure that the containers and packages of hazardous goods are leak proof and devoid of other defects at the time of loading. Safety measures must be adopted during loading. Proper documentation must be in possession of both the loader as well as the driver transporting the dangerous goods.