Hazardous goods

When dealing with the transport of hazmat, precise regulations are to be observed for all modes of transport.

What are Hazardous Goods?
An exhaustive list, produced by legislators (e.g. in the ADR guidelines), of goods which, to a lesser or greater degree, pose a severe hazard for humans and environment. You might not realise it, but normal promotional gift samples can also be classified as Hazmat. Examples include filled gas lighters, matches and glue, etc. Even certain cosmetics and sports equipment (table tennis balls) can be classified as hazardous. Finished equipment also often hides dangerous devices, such as batteries and gas cartridges, etc.  

Technical requirements for transport: In order to reduce the risk of transporting Hazmat, there are strict statutory regulations that must be complied with for packaging, labelling, documentation, means of transport and driver qualifications.

Who is liable for damage and accidents?
If you are not a producer yourself, you need to be well informed about your goods. If any damage or injury is caused through inadequately or wrongly declared Hazmat, liability for the damage or injury rests solely with the consignee or the customer who placed the order.

Documentation
The accompanying documents, i.e. transport documents and written instructions in the necessary languages, must be handed to the driver before departure. The current safety data sheet will give precise information about the contents and declaration. The producer is required to keep the safety data sheets up to date and to provide them on request.