Keeping in line with the rules and regulations of dangerous goods compliance can be quite difficult for some companies. But since handling and shipping dangerous goods are high-risk, being in compliance is very much important.
In this article, we will try to explain and summarize what these regulations could mean for people involved in handling and shipping dangerous goods on a daily basis. It is important to be aware of the risks and know what you can do to keep yourself and other people safe.
- Keep Things in Check
Specifically, these are the things that you have to do:
- Create an inventory of all the dangerous goods you have in store. This includes those that you make from scratch, use on a regular basis or handle.
- Make sure that this inventory is updated from time to time. Make sure that you have updated it regularly or have someone make that task a priority. That person needs to have the presence of mind because one small error could lead to something even more serious.
- Lastly, always make sure that this inventory is open to the public and accessible in case of an emergency. Emergencies are also the reason why updating it is very important, this information could be very vital.
- Employee Training
To say that training employees how to handle dangerous goods is an understatement. Training is the baseline of your company’s dangerous goods regulation scheme. You must be one hundred percent sure that your people and employees are perfectly capable of handling hazardous chemicals. They must be able to react properly during and after an unfortunate incident involving dangerous goods.
- Labeling
Another important part of dangerous goods compliance is the proper labeling of containers. These dangerous goods must be clearly and correctly labeled at all times and in all circumstances. You also have to ensure that the said labels are legible.
- Safe Storage
The safe storage of dangerous goods is also a must. Where and how you store the dangerous goods in the work environment matters as much as how you keep them in check and label them. This will also dictate the type of substance that you can store and how much. The Regulations prescribe requirements for different situations, and types, classes, and quantities of hazardous substances.
- Prepare for Emergencies
The type of emergency plan that you have to prepare depends on the type and amount of dangerous goods that you have in your area. The following are the measures that you must take into consideration when preparing for an emergency plan:
- Training your workers about what to do in an emergency
- Keeping your inventory of hazardous substances readily accessible to emergency services workers
- Labeling all hazardous substances and ensuring the label is readable and stays on the container
- Having a safety data sheet for each hazardous substance at your workplace, and making them readily accessible to workers and emergency services
- Being prepared to deal with a spill or leak of hazardous substances.
- Safe and Proper Disposal of Unwanted Dangerous Goods
Last but definitely not the least, it is vital to safely and properly dispose of unwanted dangerous goods. The way to do this is to read the information about a specific type of chemical and study its safe disposal advice.
Another thing to remember is to make sure that you also cleaned or disposed of the containers and packaging you used. This includes the materials and tools you used during the disposal. Better be safe than sorry.
