2^nd in this awareness series is classification.

1. Responsibilities
2. Classification
3. Use of Packaging & IBCs
4. Marking & Labelling of Packages & IBCs
5. Use of Tanks & Bulk Containers
6. Packing of Cargo Transport Units – Segregation and Temperature control
7. Marking & Placarding of Cargo Transport Units
8. Dangerous Goods Declaration & Additional Documents
9. Shipboard operations – Stowage, Segregation and Emergency Response
10. Competent Authority Approvals and Exemptions
11. Training of Shoreside personnel
12. Training of Shipboard Officers and Crew

Who is responsible for classification of dangerous goods?

IMDG Code section 2.0.0.1 states “The classification shall be made by the shipper/consignor or by the appropriate competent authority where specified in this Code.”  “Shall” means mandatory.

What is classification?

Classification is the act or process of dividing things into groups according to their type.

Dangerous Goods (substances and articles) are classified according to the hazard or most predominant hazard they present and assigned to one of the classes 1 – 9. Some of these classes subdivided into divisions.

To classify dangerous goods certain laboratory tests may be required. Testing methods and procedures are given in The UN Manual for Tests and Criteria. Shippers having sufficient knowledge and facilities may conducts the tests, when needed, and classify the goods or they may take assistance of 3^rd party laboratories for conducting tests.

Laboratory tests includes for identification of hazards and degree of hazards for flammability, stability, skin corrosion, toxicity, oxidization, skin corrosion etc.

Many of the most transported goods are already identified (classified) and listed in IMDG Code, for these goods repeated test is not required. Shippers who are not manufacturers must obtain the full information from the manufacturer by safety data sheet (SDS) for information pertaining to classification.

Change in physical properties may change classification. Read more on Dangerous Goods – Physical Properties

IMDG Code chapter 2.0 lays down responsibilities and general principles of classification of dangerous goods. Chapters 2.1 to 2.9 contains provisions for classifying dangerous goods of classes 1 to 9. Chapter 2.10 deals with classification of marine pollutants.

Classes and divisions of dangerous goods

• Class 1: Explosives
• Division 1.1: substances and articles which have a mass explosion hazard.
• Division 1.2: substances and articles which have a projection hazard but not a mass explosion hazard.
• Division 1.3: substances and articles which have a fire hazard and either a minor blast hazard or a
• minor projection hazard or both, but not a mass explosion hazard
• Division 1.4: substances and articles which present no significant hazard
• Division 1.5: very insensitive substances which have a mass explosion hazard
• Division 1.6: extremely insensitive articles which do not have a mass explosion hazard
• Class 2: Gases
• Class 2.1: flammable gases
• Class 2.2: non-flammable, non-toxic gases
• Class 2.3: toxic gases
• Class 3: Flammable liquids
• Class 4: Flammable solids; substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases
• Class 4.1: flammable solids, self-reactive substances, solid desensitized explosives and polymerizing
• substances
• Class 4.2: substances liable to spontaneous combustion
• Class 4.3: substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases
• Class 5: Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides
• Class 5.1: oxidizing substances
• Class 5.2: organic peroxides
• Class 6: Toxic and infectious substances
• Class 6.1: toxic substances
• Class 6.2: infectious substances
• Class 7: Radioactive material
• Class 8: Corrosive substances
• Class 9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

In alphabetical index in volume 2 of IMDG Code dangerous goods is listed in the alphabetical order of their names. Roman numerals (I), (II) etc. and prefixes such as tert- or tertiary, α- or alpha, p- or para are disregarded although they form an integral part of the name. In this index, the word “see”, after the name in the substance, material or article column, means that it is a synonym and for details respective UN Number must be referred in dangerous goods list of chapter 3.2.

Classification of mixtures, solutions and substances with multiple hazards

When a substance, solution or mixture is not specifically listed in IMDG Code and possess more than one hazard then the precedence of hazard must be identified to assign to an appropriate N.O.S. (not otherwise specified) entry. Table of precedence of hazard characteristics in section 2.0.3.6 must be consulted for this.

Below substances are not considered in precedence of hazard table as these hazards always take precedence over other hazards

• substances and articles of class 1;
• gases of class 2;
• liquid desensitized explosives of class 3;
• self-reactive substances and solid desensitized explosives of class 4.1;
• pyrophoric substances of class 4.2;
• substances of class 5.2;
• substances of class 6.1 with a packing group I vapour inhalation toxicity;
• substances of class 6.2; and
• materials of class 7.

* Substances of class 4.1 other than self-reactive substances and solid desensitized explosives and substances of class 3 other than liquid desensitized explosives. † 6.1 for pesticides. – Denotes an impossible combination.

Marine Pollutants

Many of the substances in classes 1 to 6.2, 8 and 9 are identified as marine pollutants in dangerous goods list chapter 3.2 and in alphabetical index. Chapter 2.10 defines classification of marine pollutants.

Waste

Waste must be classified in accordance with IMDG Code and if the waste also belong to Basel Convention then competent authority of country of origin and country of final destination must approve the transport. In addition, all transit countries competent authorities must approve the transit of waste through their territories and a waste movement document as required by Basel Convention must accompany the shipment together with dangerous goods declaration (IMDG Code 2.0.5).

Samples

There is separate section for transport of samples when  class of a substance is uncertain and it is being transported for further testing (IMDG Code 2.0.4.1 and 2.0.4.3 for transport of Samples of energetic materials for testing purposes).

Pesticides

There is separate section 2.6.2.4 for classification of pesticides which must take into consideration of The WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard and Guidelines to Classification.

Packing group

For the purpose of packing substances other than those of classes 1, 2, 5.2, 6.2 and 7, and other than self-reactive substances of class 4.1, are assigned to three packing groups in accordance with the degree of danger they present:

• Packing group I: substances presenting high danger;
• Packing group II: substances presenting medium danger; and
• Packing group III: substances presenting low danger.

For more information read What is packing group and how it is assigned to dangerous goods?

UN numbers and proper shipping names

UN number is 4-digit United Nations number assigned to a dangerous good by the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UN List). Proper shipping name is uppercase characters, which may have to be followed by additional descriptive text in lower-case characters in column 2 of dangerous goods list in chapter 3.2.

There are 4 types of proper shipping names

• single entries for well-defined substances or articles
• generic entries for well-defined groups of substances or articles
• specific N.O.S. entries covering a group of substances or articles of a particular chemical or technical nature
• general N.O.S. entries covering a group of substances or articles meeting the criteria of one or more classes

Volume 2 appendix A contains List of generic and N.O.S. proper shipping names which lists down all generic and N.O.S. entries for each class with specific, generic and pesticides grouped separately.

Technical Names

For entries in dangerous goods list of chapter 3.2 assigned with special provision 274 or 318 proper shipping name must be supplemented with technical name chemical group names unless a national law or international convention prohibits its disclosure if it is a controlled substance.

Technical name must be a recognized chemical or biological name or other name currently used in scientific and technical handbooks, journals and texts. Trade names must not be used for this purpose, for pesticides only ISO common name(s), other name(s) in The WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard and Guidelines to Classification, or the name(s) of the active substance(s) may be used.

Read more about SP 274 the ‘What’ and ‘Whys’ of Technical Names

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Training

Those who are involved in classification of dangerous goods must be trained in below aspects of IMDG Code

• The Structure of the Description of Substances
• The Classes of Dangerous Goods And The Principles of Their Classification
• The Nature of The Dangerous Substances And Articles Transported (Their Physical, Chemical and Toxicological Properties)
• The Procedure for Classifying Solutions And Mixtures
• Identification by Proper Shipping Name
• Use of Dangerous Goods List