The advantages of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities

In this article we present:

• The conditions for packing dangerous goods,
• The packing of dangerous goods,
• Requirements concerning the carriage of dangerous goods and
• The advantages of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities.

The advantages of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities

The conditions for packing dangerous goods

Dangerous goods must be packed in combination packagings. This method of packing allows consignors and carriers to handle these dangerous goods while benefiting from exemptions from the provisions of the ADR Agreement. For the exemptions to apply and to be put to use, it is MANDATORY to use combination packagings for packing.

What does combination packaging mean?

“Combination packaging” means a combination of packagings intended for transport, made up of one or more outer packagings.

The capacity of the inner packagings may not exceed the maximum quantity prescribed in column (7a) of Table A of Chapter 3.2 (https://www.adradviser.ro/lib/pgjvt7/ADR-2021—vol-I-ku9p8i3q.pdf). From page 252 onwards you will find all the substances in ascending order of UN number)

The values vary between 0 – 5 litres for a liquid substance, or kg in the case of solid substances.

Suitable, sufficiently strong packagings may be used as outer packaging:

• • Rigid ones with a total gross mass of at most 30 kg or
  • Shrink-wrapped or stretch-wrapped trays with a total gross mass of at most 20 kg.

Packages containing dangerous goods in limited quantities must bear a mark.

What must such a mark look like?

The mark must:

• Be readily visible, legible and able to withstand open-weather exposure without a substantial reduction in effectiveness,
• Have the shape of a square set at an angle of 45,
• The top and bottom portions and the surrounding line must be black,
• The centre area must be white on a suitably contrasting background,
• The minimum dimensions must be 100 x 100 mm,
• The thickness of the line must be at least 2 mm. If the size of the package so requires, the minimum outer dimensions may be reduced to not less than 50 x 50 mm, and the thickness of the outline may be reduced to a minimum of 1 mm.

Packages containing dangerous goods packed in limited quantities in accordance with the ICAO Technical Instructions may bear the mark described above with the letter “Y” in the centre.

Use of the overpack

Unless the marks representative of all the dangerous goods contained in the overpack are visible, the overpack must be marked with the word “OVERPACK”.

• The lettering of the “OVERPACK” mark must be at least 12 mm high.

• The mark must be in the official language of the country of origin (and also, if that language is not English, French or German, it must be in English, French or German).

• The overpack must be marked with the mark shown and described above.

Documenting the transport

Before carriage, consignors of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities must inform the carrier in a traceable form of the total gross mass of such goods to be carried.

The transport document must contain:

• The trade name of the goods,

• The number, type and gross mass of the dangerous goods packed in limited quantities.

Marking of transport units

Transport units with a maximum mass exceeding 12 tonnes carrying packages containing dangerous goods in limited quantities must be marked with the mark shown alongside.

The dimensions of the mark must be at least 250 x 250 mm.

Note: marking of the transport unit is not mandatory if the total gross mass of the packages containing dangerous goods does not exceed 8 tonnes.

Attention!

The transport unit may be marked with the LQ mark ALONE ONLY if no other dangerous goods are present for which orange-coloured plate marking would be required!

Obligations

The responsibilities and duties of the persons involved in handling the goods fall to those acting as:

• Consignor,
• Packer,
• Loader,
• Carrier,
• Unloader,
• Consignee.

Persons who handle these dangerous goods packed in limited quantities must be appropriately trained and must hold an ADR 1.3 training certificate/attestation.

(https://www.adradviser.ro/pregatire+lucratori+deposite+adr)

When the transport unit is marked, that is, when it contains more than 8 tonnes total gross mass of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities, passage through tunnels of category E is prohibited.

During the handling of packages packed in limited quantities, smoking is prohibited inside or in the vicinity of the vehicles or containers. This prohibition also applies to electronic cigarettes.

The advantages of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities – LQ

Here are the advantages of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities:

• The packagings used do NOT have to be type-approved. This represents a financial saving. Non-approved packagings are much cheaper than approved ones.

• The transport can be carried out by a driver who does not hold a certificate of professional competence obtained through an examination before a competent authority.

• The transport unit does NOT have to be marked with orange-coloured plates. As a result, at least up to 8 tonnes total gross mass of goods, these transports will not attract the attention of the enforcement bodies, compared with transports of dangerous goods marked in orange, which are far more likely to be checked.

• The transport unit does not need to be equipped with general and personal protective equipment for the members of the crew.

• In some countries, the fines applicable for failure to comply with certain provisions are only 10% of those for transports of dangerous goods that are not exempted from the provisions of the ADR Agreement.

Honexpres – consignments of dangerous goods

The freight forwarder Honexpres organises consignments of dangerous goods from A to Z. Our team of experienced professionals takes care of everything involved in organising your transport, whatever goods you carry: customs formalities and related logistics services. Do you want to work with a professional freight forwarder? Ask for a quotation from Honexpres!

Main photo source: iata.com