Hazardous materials packaging

Dangerous goods are materials liable to cause damage to people and property through direct contact, vapors, gases or radiation.

Dangerous goods packaging is governed by strict international and national regulations. First of all, we need to know the characteristics and hazards of the goods in order to define their packaging to limit the risks incurred during handling, transport and storage.

Dangerous goods are divided into classes, to identify the nature of the hazards, to which packing groups are assigned to assess the importance of the hazards.

Packaging and Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) are codified and tested by reference to the UN recommendations on which the various international and national regulations are based, depending on the mode of transport and safety measures.

These packages and large bulk containers must be marked and labelled to identify the goods contained, to identify any subsidiary risks, to assess any special hazards and to apply the rules of separation between packages and with the personnel involved. Labeling in compliance with occupational safety regulations must also include information on the nature of special hazards and the precautions to be taken where necessary.

The purpose of this article is to give general approaches to dangerous goods packaging based on these national and international regulations.

The various modes of transporting dangerous goods (air, land and sea) are covered in the Transport of Dangerous Goods article (cf. [AG 8 170], réf. [1]).