ChemRegs Newsletter – February 2023

Dangerous Goods Emergency Action Code List (EAC) 2023

The Dangerous Goods Emergency Action Code List 2023 (EAC 2023) has again been produced by the NCEC (National Chemical Emergency Centre) with the co-operation of the UK Home Office and is published by the Stationary Office (TSO).

The EAC List 2023 supersedes the 2021 list and is effective immediately in connection with the use of ADR/RID 2023. It is mandatory from 1st July 2023, which means the EAC List 2021 should no longer be used from that date.

Duty holders are required to use the EAC List 2023 for the application of the appropriate Emergency Action Codes (EAC) for tanks or bulk loads in Great Britain (GB) under the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (CDG 2009) (as amended), and in Northern Ireland (NI) under the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (CDG 2010) (as amended).

Emergency Action Codes, also known as Hazchem Codes, are designed for use by the emergency services in the UK to indicate actions that may be necessary during an incident involving dangerous goods. They are displayed above the UN Number of the product on the orange Hazard Warning Panel.

Different requirements apply to UK domestic journeys and international journeys. CDG 2009/CDG 2010 implement national derogations that requires UK registered vehicles on UK domestic journeys to be marked with the EAC and to include a telephone number for advice in the event of an emergency. Vehicles with tanks or bulk loads on international journeys carry the HIN (hazard identification number – sometimes called the Kemler code) and are not required to display a telephone number.

The EAC List is revised every other year and the 2023 List includes:

The new UN numbers (3497-3506)
Updates for the UN Numbers which were reviewed in ADR 2021
Revised codes for infectious substances and UN Numbers not applicable to the carriage of dangerous goods under RID or ADR
Improved recommendations for thermal hazards

The EAC List 2023 can be bought as a hard copy from TSO or other online retailers, and can also downloaded for free at the NCEC website: https://the-ncec.com/en/resources/the-dangerous-goods-emergency-action-code-list-2023

Industry Guidelines for Warehouses storing, handling, and consolidating Dangerous Goods

The past few decades have shown an increase in serious incidents in the maritime containerised supply chain, involving both onboard incidents and incidents taking place on shore in warehouses where dangerous goods are stored and handled in preparation for, or after sea-transport.

Warehouse incidents in Tianjin in 2015 had numerous casualties and the latest serious incident in Beirut in 2020 causing more than 200 deaths, 6000 injured and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless, have caused global concern. They have revealed a need for guidance on warehousing, including consolidation, where dangerous goods are involved.

While reports on investigations into such warehouse incidents are seldom made public, a common cause is generally understood to be incorrect handling and storage. This includes improper segregation of the dangerous goods stored and is often combined with issues related to prolonged storage which can influence the stability of the dangerous goods.

In response to these incidents it has become apparent that there is a desire at port level to have industry guidance on dangerous goods warehousing made available.

At the recent International Maritime Organization (IMO) Sub-committee on Carriage of Cargos and Containers 8th Session (CCC 8), document INF.8 was presented that shared a white paper and accompanying checklist to assist warehouses in storing, handling, and consolidating dangerous goods. The documents were developed by the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA), The International Vessel Operators Dangerous Goods Association (IVODGA), the National Cargo Bureau (NCB) and the World Shipping Council (WSC).

This industry guidance has been developed to help those with responsibility for temporary (or longer term) storage
of dangerous goods, whether packaged or in bulk. It is also for those who are consolidating cargoes into freight
containers or other cargo transport units (CTUs) so that they understand the basic actions that should be taken to
ensure that such storage is safe and remains so.

The guidelines address considerations and measures that should be taken by warehouses storing, handling and consolidating dangerous goods, and covers topics such as construction of the warehouse, operations, fire protection, security, and emergency response.

The white paper and the checklist in interactive form can be found by clicking on the following links:
IVODGA website: White paper | Checklist in interactive form

Dangerous Goods Public Awareness Campaign “Check the Box” launched by U.S. Department of Transportation

At the 61st session of the UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, the expert from the USA shared information on their ”Check the Box” initiative, an educational campaign promoting public awareness of the need for safer shipping of hazardous materials.

Each year, in the USA there are approximately 1,500 reports of undeclared shipments of dangerous goods. This figure accounts for only those shipments found in transport and the USA believes that the actual number of undeclared shipments is likely significantly greater than reported. When dangerous goods are not properly declared, or identified, they can pose significant threats to transportation workers, emergency responders, the public, and the environment.

Note – dangerous goods are also known in the USA as “hazardous materials” or “hazmat”.

The “Check the Box” initiative aims to raise public awareness of undeclared hazardous materials and increase compliance with safety rules by:
(a) Identifying commonly shipped items that are dangerous goods (e.g., aerosols, paint, lithium batteries); and
(b) Providing access to resources on how to safely ship dangerous goods.

The champion of this campaign is a trademarked, easily identifiable character, “Hazardous Matt” and the US DOT has developed a variety of videos, posters, news articles, and social media content featuring “Hazardous Matt”.

Plain language guidance on commonly shipped substances and articles including paints, lithium batteries, and aerosols provide information for non-professional and infrequent shippers to properly prepare these products for transport. A fact sheet included in this information document identifies the number of undeclared dangerous goods shipments and examples of actual transport incidents that involved undeclared dangerous goods/hazardous materials.

Further information and promotional material can be found at: https://www.transportation.gov/check-the-box

For more information on anything in this Newsletter, please contact us at info@chemregs.co.uk

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