TRANSPORTATION LABELS AND PLACARDS TECHNOLOGY

It is difficult to believe the use of labels to identify packaging containing hazardous materials was required by the railroads as far back as 1910. Then, they were prescribed by the Bureau of Explosives. Ultimately, these labels were adopted by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). 

The labels known today date back to April 1967 with the establishment of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and its Office of Hazardous Materials Operations as the regulator for the transportation of hazardous materials. 

While the original diamond shape of the label was retained, the content was changed dramatically. The old ICC labels were heavily worded, consisting of phrases such as Do Not Drop or Don t Shake. In addition, there was a Certification on the label so each package had to be signed. These ICC labels bear very little resemblance to the comparatively simplified symbol label now in use. 

This chapter will concern itself with all of these labels and placards. It will examine the state of the art today and attempt to predict label and placard appearance in the future. 

This internationalization of hazardous materials regulations, or at least the impact of its importance, is of recent origin. Up until the last dozen years each country went its own way there are still some major developed nations without regulatory statutes in place. However, as in all other areas of international trade, the amount of chemicals shipped became so great, and thus the potential hazards so significant, that the inherent requirements for standardized markings could no longer be denied. 

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Transportation Labels and Placards Technology 79 THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF LABEL PRODUCTION... 

He then proceeds to a discussion of label technology, covering various types of labels, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the problems associated with their use in different contexts, including transportation. He provides the reader with relevant excerpts from the laws and regulations governing the production and use of such labels. In addition, there is also a discussion of the history and use of placards which are functionally related but different from the label itself and have different production problems associated with them. 

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