Section 14 of your SDS should provide basic classification information for the transport and shipment of a hazardous substance or mixture by road, rail, sea, or air. But what kinds of basic information should you include? Here is a summary of the content of Section 14 based on the 5th revision of the GHS.
- UN Number. Provide the four-figure identification UN number of the substance or article from the UN Model Regulations, which is annexed to the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods published by the United Nations
- UN Proper Shipping Name. You should provide the UN proper shipping name from the UN Model Regulations. If there are substances or mixtures that have not appeared as the GHS product identifier or national or regional identifiers, you should also provide the UN proper shipping name in this sub-section.
- Transport Hazard Classes. Provide the transport class and any subsidiary risks assigned to the substances or mixtures according to the most predominant hazard that they present in accordance with the UN Model Regulations.
- Packing Group. The packing group number from the UN Model Regulations should be provided, if applicable. The number is assigned to certain substances according to their degree of hazard.
- Environmental Hazards. It should be indicated whether the substance or mixture is a known marine pollutant according to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods code. If it is, it should be labeled as either a “marine pollutant” or a “severe marine pollutant.” Additionally, companies also need to indicate whether the substance or mixture is environmentally hazardous according to the UN Model Regulations, European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail, and the European Agreement concerning the International Transport of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways.
- Special Precautions for User. Any special precautions that a user needs to be aware of or needs to comply with in connection with the transport of the hazardous substance or mixture.
- Transport in bulk. This applies only when cargoes are intended to be carried in bulk according to Annex II of MARPOL 73/78 and the IBC Code. It should include the product name as required by the shipment document and according to the name used in the list of product names given in Chapters 17 and 18 of the IBC Code or the latest edition of IMO’s MEPC.2/Circular. The ship type required and pollution category should also be indicated.
GHS especially stresses that, if information is not available or relevant, you should state that in this section. Additionally, if national/regional authorities have any additions or differences compared to the guidelines in the purple GHS book, manufacturers should give precedence to those national/regional authorities.
