Classes of Dangerous Goods

It is indispensable to know a definition of dangerous goods to determine what is meant by the term. Dangerous goods, also called “restricted articles”, are described as articles or substances that can pose a great risk to health, safety or property when shipped by air. Almost all dangerous goods can be safely transported by air if they are in officially accepted quantities and correctly packaged and handled.
Shipping of Hazardous materials is controlled by the United States Department of Transportation. DOT regulations apply to the transportation of goods in North America by air, highway, rail or vessel.

Transportation of hazardous goods by air locally and internationally is regulated also by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) so that hazardous products can be carried by air on commercial air transport.

Classes of Dangerous Goods
In order that the potential hazards in transport are determined, dangerous goods are divided into classes. These are:

Class 1 - Explosives
Class 2 - Gases
Class 3 - Flammable Liquids
Class 4 - Flammable Solids and reactive substances
Class 5 - Oxidizers and organic peroxides
Class 6 - Toxic and infectious substances
Class 7 - Radioactive Material
Class 8 - Corrosives
Class 9 - Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods

Examples of Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods: dry ice (Carbon Dioxide, Solid); consumer commodities; lifesaving appliances (self-inflating, or containing Dangerous Goods as equipment); air bag inflators and/or air bag modules; battery powered equipment, or vehicles containing a wet battery; machines incorporating internal combustion engines; lithium batteries; magnetized material (although considered a class 9 Miscellaneous Dangerous Good, magnetized material has its own label. The label bears the picture of a magnet and a compass, and rather than a number at the bottom, contains the words “Magnetized Material”.)

There are lots of items of dangerous goods that have subsidiary risks – that is there is more than one hazard associated with them. A chief class hazard is allocated with the significant additional hazards identified as subsidiary risks.

Although dangerous goods with more than one hazard are allocated to a primary hazard with subsidiary risks, it should not be assumed that if a package is damaged or leaking the subsidiary risk is of less importance. All identified hazards should be regarded equally in such circumstances. For instance, the corrosive subsidiary risk for Benzyl bromide (it is corrosive to skin) may be more important to consider in the event of a leakage if handling or moving the package is necessary.