Introduction:
- The U.S. Government through the Department of Transportation requires placards and labels on vehicles and containers used to store and transport chemicals.
- A placard is required if there is a net weight of 1000 pounds or greater.
- However there are certain chemicals that are required to be placard regardless of much is being transported.
Placards are 10
¾” × 10 ¾” in size, diamond shape.
Placards should be
placed on all four sides of vehicles transporting hazardous materials according
to regulations.
Labels are 4” ×
4” in size, diamond shape, and are used on individual containers of hazardous
materials with a net weight less than 1,000 pounds.
Highway tank
trucks and railroad tank cars must remain placarded, once the hazardous
material has been off loaded, with the same placard as when loaded, until he
hazard is no longer present in the container, (vapors and residue).
Placard
& Label Recognition Information
The colored background
The symbol on top
The United Nations class
number at the bottom
The hazard class in words or
the four digit identification number in the center
Colored
Background
Orange indicates explosives
Red indicates flammable/combustible
Green indicates nonflammable compressed gases
Yellow indicates oxidizing material
White indicates poisonous materials
White with vertical red stripes indicates
flammable solids
White over black indicates corrosive material
White with black vertical stripes indicates
miscellaneous
Symbols
Bursting ball indicates
explosives
Flame indicates flammable
material
Slashed W indicates water
reactive material
Skull & crossbones
indicates poisonous materials
Burning ball indicates
oxidizers
Cylinder indicates
non-flammable gas
Propeller indicates
radioactive material
Test tube/hand/steel bar
indicates corrosive material
U.N.
Number:
United Nations four digit
identification number or worded hazard classification. The center of the
placard contains a word or a four digit number to identify the commodity.
Bulk shipments, as a
minimum, must contain the four digit placard on two sides with the worded
placard on the two ends.
Non-bulk shipments must
contain the worded placard, as a minimum, on all four sides.
* The new limited quantity marking designates hazardous material packages prepared for
air transport (Y) and
packages not prepared for
air transport (all other
modes). The ORM-D classification and the use of packagings marked “Consumer commodity, ORM-D” is authorized until December 31, 2020, for domestic highway, rail, and
vessel transportation. Transitional exception—Square-on-point with Identification Number: except for
transportation by aircraft
and until December
31, 2014, a package
containing a limited quantity may be marked with identification number, preceded by
the letters “UN” or “NA”.
DOT Nine Hazard Classes:
1. Explosives
2. Compressed Gases
3. Flammable & Combustible Liquids
4. Flammable Solids
5. Oxidizers
6. Poisons
7. Radioactive
8. Corrosives
9. Miscellaneous
Class 1 ( Explosives)
Major hazard: Explosion
Definition- Explosive means
any substance or article, including a device, which is designed to function by
explosion (i.e. an extremely rapid release of gas and heat) or that, by
chemical reaction within itself, is able to function by explosion.
Class 1 has six divisions
Class 1.1 Mass
explosion that affects almost the entire load
Black powder
Dynamite
T-N-T
Blasting caps
Nitroglycerin
Class 1.2 Projection hazard but not a
mass explosion hazard
Aerial flares
Detonation cord
Power device cartridges
Class 1.3 Fire hazard and either a
minor blast or a minor projection hazard
Liquid-fueled rocket motors
Propellant explosives
Class 1.4 Presents a minor explosion
hazard
Practice ammunition
Signal cartridges
Class 1.5 Very insensitive explosives
with a mass explosion hazard
Prilled ammonium nitrate fertilizer
Blasting agents
Class 1.6 Extremely insensitive
explosives
Does not have a mass
explosion hazard.
Class 2 (Compressed Gases)
Major Hazard: Boiling Liquid
Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE)
Sub Hazards:
Flammable
Oxidizer
Poisonous
Divided into 3 divisions
Class 2.1 A material that is a gas at
68 degrees F or less at 14.7 psi or has a boiling point of 68 degrees or less
at 14.7 psi.
Ignitable at 14.7 psi in a
mixture of 13% or less by volume
Has a flammable range of at
least 12% regardless of the lower limit.
Class 2.2 Any material or mixture
that exerts an absolute pressure of 41 psi at 68 degrees F.
Compressed gases, including
liquefied gas, pressurized cryogenic
gas, and compressed gas in solution.
Class 2.3 Vaporize easily and very
dangerous to life, even in small amounts.
Known to be so toxic to humans as to pose a hazard to health during transportation.
Presumed to be toxic because
of laboratory testing.
Class 3 (Flammable Liquids)
Major Hazard: Burns readily
Flammable and Combustible
liquids
All material that is classed
as flammable/combustible the material is also toxic.
Any liquid having a flash
point of not more than 141 degrees F.
Three divisions:
3.1 - FP < 0 degrees F
3.2 - FP 0 to < 73
degrees F
3.3 - FP 73 to < 141
degrees F
Combustible
Liquid
Any liquid that does not
meet the definition of any other hazard class and has a flash point above 141
degrees F and below 200 degrees F.
NOTE: A flammable liquid with a flash point at or
above 100 degrees that does not meet the definition of any other hazard class
except 9, may be reclassed as combustible.
Class 4 (Flammable Solids)
Major Hazard: Rapid
combustion with a liberation of mass quantities of smoke (toxic).
Divided into 3 divisions:
Class 4.1 Three types
Wetted explosives
Self reactive materials
Readily combustible solids
Class 4.2 Self heating materials- a
material that, when in contact with air and without an energy supply, is liable
to self-heat.
Class 4.3 Material that, by contact
with water is liable to become spontaneously flammable or to give off flammable
or toxic gas at a rate of greater than 1 l/kg.
Class 5 (Oxidizers)
2 Divisions:
Major Hazard 5.1: Supports
combustion, intensifies fire.
Major Hazard 5.2:
Unstable/reactive explosives
The new Organic Peroxide placard became mandatory January 1st 2011 for transportation by rail, vessel, or aircraft and becomes mandatory January 1st 2014 for transportation by highway. The placard will enable responders to readily distinguish peroxides from oxidizers.
Class 6 (Poisons)
2 Divisions:
NOTE: Poisonous gases are
class 2; division 3
Class 6.1 A material, other than a
gas, that is either known to be so toxic to humans as to afford a hazard to
health during transportation, or in the absence of adequate data on human
toxicity, is presumed to be toxic to humans, including irritating materials that
cause irritation.
Class 6.2 Infectious
Substances A viable microorganism, or its toxin, that
causes disease in humans or animals. Infectious substance and etiologic agent
are the same.
Class 7 (Radioactive Materials)
Def: Materials having a specific activity greater than
0.002 microcurie per gram.
Fissile Class I - White I -
has a radiation level of < 0.5 millirem per hour (mrem/h)
Fissile Class II - Yellow II
- 0.5 mrem/h < radiation level < 50 mrem/h
Fissile Class III - Yellow
III - radiation level is > 50 mrem/h
Class 8 (Corrosives)
Major Hazard:
Burns/emulsification skin damage.
Definition - A Liquid or
solid that causes visible or irreversible alterations in human skin tissue at
the site of contact, or a liquid that has a severe corrosion rate on steel or
aluminum.
Class 9 (Miscellaneous Hazardous
Materials)
A material that presents a hazard
during transport, but that is not included in another hazard class
Other Regulated
Materials (ORM-D)
A
material that presents a limited hazard during transportation due to its form, quantity, and packaging
Hazard Class or Division Placard Type:
1.1 Explosives 1.1
1.2
Explosives 1.2
1.3
Explosives 1.3
2.3 Poison Gas
4.3
Dangerous when
wet
6.1 (assigned to packing group 1, inhalation hazard only) Poison
7 (
radioactive label III only)
Radioactive
Note: All other materials do not require a placard
unless there is more than 1,001 pounds.
Summary:
The key to
survival on a hazardous material incident is good information gathering.
All the
information that you gather through recognizing and identifying the clues that
are on just about every hazardous
material incident, does you no good if you don’t manage the information, and pay
attention to it.
Never rush up to
the scene, take your time and Recognize and Identify all the clues that are
present. Use the clues
that you have gathered to keep your self safe.
SKILLS TO BE COMPLETED:
All three stations on all three shifts will need to go out in your district to locate and take at least three photos of placards or labels. At least two must be in a transportation and at least one at a fixed facility. Once you have taken photos please share them with the whole department via email and include which fixed facility location your photos were taken at.
For each Placard or Label you locate, also determine the appropriate PPE level and which suit material we should wear for that hazard.
Once these skills have been completed the officer can sign off on the following skill objective in your hazmat task book.
SKILLS TO BE COMPLETED:
All three stations on all three shifts will need to go out in your district to locate and take at least three photos of placards or labels. At least two must be in a transportation and at least one at a fixed facility. Once you have taken photos please share them with the whole department via email and include which fixed facility location your photos were taken at.
For each Placard or Label you locate, also determine the appropriate PPE level and which suit material we should wear for that hazard.
Once these skills have been completed the officer can sign off on the following skill objective in your hazmat task book.
7.3.3.4.6
Criteria
|
Grading Criteria
|
|||||||
Pass
|
Fail
|
Instructor
Signature & Date
|
||||||
Given
three examples of various hazardous materials, determine the protective
clothing construction materials for a given action option using chemical compatibility charts.
|
||||||||
Instructor Remarks:
DuPont Link: http://safespec.dupont.com/safespec/chemical/search
If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Thanks
John Shafer
Division Chief Of Training & Safety
If someone want to read more about that interesting blog. I think this is the right place for you!
ReplyDeleteFire and Safety Course in Chennai
IOSH Course in Chennai
NEBOSH Safety Course in Chennai
Electrical Safety Audit
ISO Consultants in Chennai
NEBOSH Course in Chennai