Material hazard classification

A summary of some current efforts in this area of material hazard classification follows ... 

Acrolein is a DOT Flammable Liquid having subsidiary DOT hazard classifications of Poison B and Corrosive Material. It is also an inhalation hazard that falls under the special packaging requirements of 49 CER 173.3a. 

Finish removers are appHed by bmshing, spraying, troweling, flowing, or soaking. Removal is by water rinse, wipe and let dry, or solvent rinse. Removers may be neutral, basic, or acidic. The viscosity can vary from water thin, to a thick spray-on, to a paste trowel-on remover. The hazard classification, such as flammable or corrosive, is assigned by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the hazardous materials contained in the remover. 

Originally the classification of materials was derived from tests of proprietary explosion-proof (flameproof) enclosures. There were no published criteria. Equipment was approved relative to the lowest ignition temperature of any material in the group (Magison 1987). In about 1965 the U.S. Coast Guard asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to form a panel to classify 200 materials of commerce. The Electrical Hazards Panel of the Committee on Hazardous Materials was formed by the NAS. The Panel studied many ways to estimate the hazard classification of materials. The Panel finally reported to die U.S. Coast Guard in 1970 that no workable, predicdve scheme could be defined, and it then proceeded to assign tentative classifications to the 200 materials. 

Magison, E. C. 1987. Hazardous Material Classification m the United States History, Problems, and Needs. Proe. Inti. Symposium on the Explosion Hazard Classification of. Vapors, Gases and Dusts. National Materials Advisory Board, Washington, DC. 

It is presumed that the product(s) to be produced is (are) known. The size of the containers it will be shipped in depends on the size of the expected orders, the facilities the customer has for handling the materials, and the hazardous classification of the material. Material shipped in bulk quantity is cheaper than packaged items, but it requires the customer to have more elaborate unloading and storage facilities. Bulk shipping is only used when large amounts are purchased at one time. Union Carbide will not ship in bulk less than 40,000 lb (18,000 kg) of material. Table 3-2 gives a summary of the maximum bulk shipments possible by various carriers. 

Dows Fire b- Explosion Index Hazard Classification Guide, 7th ed. (AIChE, New York, 1994), which gives an empirical radius of exposure and damage factor based on the quantity and characteristics of the material being stored and handled... 

Hazard Classification of Oxidising Materials and Flammable Solids, King P. V. et al., Rept. PB-220084, Washington, US Dept. Transport, 1972... 

NFPA Hazard Classifications — The indicated ratings are given in "Fire Protection Guide on Hazardous Materials," National Fire Protection Association. The classifications are defined in Table 1. 

Potassium compounds listed as hazardous substances by the U.S. EPA are given in Table 17. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains a Hazardous Materials Table that designates the listed materials as hazardous for the purpose of transportation, packaging, and labeling (50). Potassium compound DOT hazard classifications are also listed in Table 17. 

Explosive Hazard Classification of Drowning Tank Material from TNT Manufacturing Process , PATR 4613 (1974) 19) Anon, The... 

Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., Subject 723, Standard Test Method for Fire Hazard Classification of Building Materials, August 1950. 

Am. Soc. Testing Materials, Designation E 84-50T, Tentative Method of Fire-Hazard Classification of Building Materials. ... 

King P.V. and Lasseigne A.H., "Hazard Classification of Oxidizing Materials and Flammable Solids for Transportation, Evaluation of Test Method", PB 220084(1972). 

If new energetic materials are synthesized in a research laboratory and are sent to other institutes for further analysis, various stability tests have to be carried out, so that the materials can initially be classified (IHC, interim hazard classification) as being at least hazard class 1.1 D (see Ch. 6.1). The requirements to pass the necessary tests (UN 3a-UN 3d) are summarized in Table 6.6. A positive test results (+) means that the substance did not pass the test. 

Hazard Classification Studies For In-Process Hazardous Materials... 

Hazards classification is the assignment of a material or an end item (in this case only in-process materials) to a particular hazard class which best describes the threat presented by the material. This requires the use of a hazards classification procedure which provides the guidelines and criteria on which the choice of the hazards class is based. The assigned hazards, class of the material is then used as the basis for selecting the proper quantity-distance relationship. Thus, if the hazards classification procedure erroneously assigns a material to the wrong class, either safety is compromised or excessive safety requirements are imposed. Both possibilities are expensive. 

The objective of this program is to establish hazard classification procedures, as a supplement to the existing regulatory manual, for in-process materials used during the various stages of propellant and explosive manufacture. 

The results of the effects testing will be used to place the material in a hazard category based on NATO-UN classification scheme and when combined with the sensitivij y data will give the material an overall hazard classification. For example, a material which is foiind to be an intense fire hazard (consequence 1.3) and sensitive (Category B) to initiation by rubbing friction would be placed in class 1.3B. 

The results of the tests will be included as a supplement to the NATO-UN hazard classification manual for in-process hazardous materials. 

The following shipping paper is only illustrative since it may vary in formal. However, all descriptions will be basically the same. You should look for this type of entry to determine the shipping name of the hazardous material, its classification, its 10 number (10 No.), and a reportable quantity notation (RO or RO-number) for use in reporting spill incidents to the National Response Center. With very few exceptions, shipping papers identifying hazardous materials are required when they are being transported ... 

A globally harmonized hazard classification and compatible labelling system, including material safety data sheets and easily understandable symbols, should be available, if feasible, by the year 2000. ... 

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