8 tips on transporting dangerous goods

What is dangerous goods?

Hazardous chemicals: Hazardous chemicals are highly toxic chemicals and other chemicals with toxic, corrosive, explosive, combustible, and flammable properties that are hazardous to humans, facilities, and the environment.

Hazardous chemicals are classified according to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), and are classified into 3 major categories of physical hazards, health hazards, and environmental hazards through hazardous characteristics, with 29 items.

Dangerous goods (dangerous goods): Dangerous goods refer to dangerous goods with explosive, flammable, poisonous, infectious, corrosive, radioactive and other dangerous characteristics, which are likely to cause personal injury, property damage or damage during transportation, storage, production, operation, use and disposal. Substances and articles requiring special protection due to environmental pollution.

We can simply understand that where corrosive, spontaneous combustion, flammable, toxic, explosive and other properties, in the transportation, handling and storage process is likely to cause personal injury or death and property damage and the need for special protection of goods, belong to the category of dangerous goods.

We all know that dangerous goods and dangerous chemicals are generally substances with special physical and chemical properties. If the protection is improper during transportation, accidents are very likely to occur, and the consequences of accidents are more serious than ordinary vehicle accidents. Therefore, in order to ensure safety, the following eight points should be paid attention to in the transportation of dangerous goods and dangerous chemicals:

● Pay attention to inspection: Before engaging in transportation, we should check whether the vehicle identification, lights, tires, various documents and emergency disposal devices are carried and in good condition.

● Pay attention to loading and unloading: Roads, lights, signs, fire-fighting facilities, etc. at the loading and unloading site of dangerous goods/hazardous chemicals must meet the conditions for safe loading and unloading. When loading and unloading dangerous goods, the vehicle should be parked in the open air.

When loading and unloading goods, you should pay attention to your own protection and wear necessary protective equipment. Strictly abide by the operating procedures and act gently. Goods that are afraid of moisture should be covered with tarpaulins, and the goods must be neatly stacked and bundled firmly. Dangerous goods of different nature cannot be mixed in the same vehicle.

● Pay attention to fire prevention: smoking is strictly prohibited inside the vehicle. The vehicle must not be close to open fire, high temperature places and sun exposure. Tankers carrying petroleum need to be grounded during parking and driving to prevent static electricity from causing fire.

● Pay attention to driving: vehicles carrying dangerous goods, loading dangerous goods must choose the appropriate vehicle, set the corresponding signs for dangerous goods, and have escort personnel. When driving, strictly comply with relevant regulations and rules, stay away from towns and residential areas, and do not enter the prohibited areas for dangerous goods vehicles. In addition, vehicles transporting highly toxic chemicals must travel according to the time and route approved and must not be changed at will.

When dangerous goods are transported on the road, we should also control the speed of the vehicle, maintain the distance from the vehicle in front, slow down in advance, avoid emergency braking, and strictly prohibit illegal overtaking to ensure driving safety.

● Pay attention to leakage: When the leakage of dangerous goods occurs during the shipping process, they should be properly handled according to the different properties of the dangerous goods. Reasonably evaluate the leakage phenomenon and notify the relevant local responsible personnel in a timely manner, so as to reduce the degree of accident risk.

● Pay attention to parking: Vehicles loaded with dangerous goods should not be parked in schools, institutions, bazaars, places of interest and scenic spots. If loading and unloading operations or temporary parking must be carried out in the above-mentioned areas, safety measures should be taken and the consent of local departments should be obtained. Parking should be left to guard, to prevent extraneous people from approaching the vehicle, to ensure the safety of vehicles and personnel.

● Pay attention to clean-up: After unloading the dangerous goods, the carriage should be cleaned and disinfected, and it is strictly forbidden to ship food, medicinal items, feed, animals and plants again without thorough cleaning.

● Be careful not to panic in the event of an accident: In the event of a vehicle breakdown, accident or other emergency, it should be properly handled in accordance with the corresponding emergency response plans and operating procedures according to the different properties of the goods, such as explosion, flammability, corrosion, high toxicity, and radiation.

When you cannot handle it yourself, park the vehicle in an open space away from crowds in time. It should be reported to the relevant departments at the first time, and the name, character, quantity and leakage of the goods should be explained in detail, so that the relevant departments can deal with it in a timely manner.

When an accident occurs and needs to be evacuated, attention should be paid to the characteristics of the goods to be transported, according to the nature of the goods; whether the goods are flammable, toxic, soluble in water, etc., and the correct escape route such as upwind, high and low places should be selected in combination with environmental factors.

Conclusion

Throughout the entire dangerous goods transportation industry, every link from design, production, inspection, use, supervision, to transportation safety cannot be ignored. For truckers, the transportation of dangerous goods/dangerous chemicals must be done in strict accordance with relevant regulations in order to minimize the incidence of risk accidents.