5 Factors to Consider for Packing Dangerous Goods

Even though the packaging and shipping of dangerous / hazardous goods is restricted with special permissions being required for undertaking such activities, it is important to get the right packaging materials. Hazardous materials refer to any material that poses a risk (during transit) to the health of people, their safety and the condition of property. 

Even though the materials may have their own packaging (primary) which keeps the contents safe, it is necessary to ensure proper external packaging when the products are shipped. Any damage incurred during the journey could lead to fatal outcomes irrespective of the presence of control agents. 

Getting the right packaging materials is quintessential not only for the safety of the consignment, but also for the safety of all those who are directly exposed to the risk. You should consider the following factors before deciding on the type of packaging that suits your requirements perfectly.

 

Nature of the Materials in the Consignment 

Unless you know the physical characteristics of the materials being shipped, you would not be able to select the right packaging material for the product. Considerations include identifying the state of the material, its density, toxicity, extent of flammability, etc. A good way to approach this would be to refer to an industry standard guide such as GHS where you can access the information provided in the Safety Data Sheets. This should give you all the data with which you would be able to get the correct classification for the item and the relevant precautions that need to be maintained while moving the hazardous material.

 

Quantity of Materials Being Shipped 

Quantity of the hazardous materials plays a major role in the determination of the packaging. If we consider the fact that during transit, the leakage from a single unit of the hazardous material can lead to fatal outcomes, then you can understand the impact of a large quantity of such materials. While it may be difficult to eliminate the risk completely, you can always mitigate it and reduce the impact of such dangerous goods on the environment. Always check on the exact quantity of the materials being shipped and then select the appropriate packaging so that the entire consignment is secured completely.

 

Destination 

Destination refers not only to the port of destination, but also the final destination which could be a specific site or a warehouse. Without proper understanding of the destination, it would be difficult to estimate the distance that the product needs to travel. The entire schedule needs to be prepared for transporting the product from one place to the other and this includes handling, storage, loading / unloading and clearance. The destination should always be defined clearly to avoid any confusion in the packaging requirements and handling methods.

 

Mode of Transportation

You might consider all forms of transportation to require the same type of packaging, but in reality, the packaging needs to be in tandem with the mode of transportation selected. A lot of factors come into play, such as time of journey, frequency of movement / relocation of consignment within the shipping vessel, and the extent of custom clearance requirements. Time is also an important consideration to be made because air transport is the fastest and transporting hazardous materials through this mode would not require extensive packaging unless specific conditions need to be ensured. 

So make sure you plan your packaging after understanding the mode of transportation. The most probable schedule would include multi-modal transport plans so you need to ensure that the packaging is capable of keeping the contents safe while it is moved from one mode to the other.

 

Shipping Environment 

Shipping environment refers to the immediate surroundings that are exposed to the risk of the hazardous materials when the consignment is being moved. Care is usually taken to ensure that the shipping environment is neutral with no impact being made on the contents. However, you need to consider all possible outcomes and in accordance with the plans, you would have to select the packaging materials carefully.