While just a small portion on an MSDS, the proper DOT classification of a substance or product is of great importance to a business for transportation and shipping of hazardous materials. Because of overlapping and adjacent jurisdictions, various government agencies and their differing criteria, a substance that is hazardous to one agency may not be classified as hazardous by another. Different regulatory bodies may list different hazards for the same material. Workplace safety is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and hazardous waste enforcement is overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Transportation (DOT) has broad authority to regulate the transportation of hazardous materials. The United States has harmonized its hazardous shipping regulations so that proper classifications for DOT generally will be consistent with international regulations.
The classification step is the most important to get right since it will be determined only once and then acted upon dozens, hundreds or thousands of times as the product is shipped to customers. The wrong classification opens your company to liability in violating DOT regulations. The person performing the classification needs to be conversant with chemical substances and the regulations. I am familiar with chemicals by training and experience and certified by special training in the DOT requirements in the transportation of hazardous materials.
The classifications I provide will include:
- the Proper Shipping Name (and any information required for a generic designation)
the numerical hazard class
the UN number of the material
the Packing Group for the material
reportable quantity (RQ) information needed depending on the package size
When you have new products to classifiy or want your old products' classifications reviewed for accuracy, give me a call.
