Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Act and Regulations is to ensure public safety and remains focused on the prevention of incidents when dangerous goods are being handled, offered for transport or transported by road, rail, air, or water (marine).
How to find which are Dangerous Goods
A product is a dangerous good when one of the following conditions are met
(a)Product is listed by name in Schedule 1 and is in any form.
(b)Product is not listed in Schedule 1 but is included in one of the 9 classes of dangerous goods.
Responsibilities of Consignor while shipping Dangerous Goods
Consignor must prepare and give all the shipping document to the carrier before allowing him to take possession of dangerous goods for transport. When importing dangerous goods in Canada, consignor must ensure that the transporter has a shipping document that contains the information required by these regulations.
Consignor must determine the classification of dangerous goods. Classification is done under consultation with a person who understands the nature of the dangerous goods like manufacturer doctor, scientist, pathologist, epidemiologist, nurse, microbiologist, veterinarian, genetic engineer, coroner or lab technician. When importing dangerous goods into Canada consignor must have correct classification before shipment is transported in Canada.
Consigner must determine classification in accordance with “Explosives Act” if product included in Class1 and with “Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations” if a substance is Radioactive. For Infectious Substances, consignor may use determined classification by Public Health Agency of Canada or Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
If there is an error in classification consignor must not allow the transporter to take possession of the dangerous goods until the classification has been corrected. And if transporter notices an error in classification while the dangerous goods are in transport must inform the consignor and must stop transporting dangerous goods until the consignor verifies or corrects the classification.
Consignor must ensure the display of the safety marks required for dangerous goods on each of containment that contains dangerous goods. Consignor must provide all the necessary safety marks to the carrier to be displayed. Displayed safety marks must be visible, legible and are against a background of contrasting color. Safety marks must be made of durable and weather-resistance material.
Note: Above information is provided as guidance only. Ensure to always check TDG Act and Regulations.