An introduction to hazardous goods shipping

Shipping dangerous goods internationally is a high-stakes, highly scrutinized process where even minor errors can lead to severe fines, legal action, and catastrophic safety risks. While many items, such as explosives or industrial chemicals, are obviously hazardous, the regulations encompass far more, including common goods like everyday electronics and cosmetics.

The first step toward safety and compliance is acknowledging the critical nature of these materials. This guide cuts through the common confusion surrounding which items are regulated and why. It will provide a clear, step-by-step resource on how to ship flammable liquids and other hazardous goods, to empower Pakistani businesses to navigate the shipping process with absolute confidence.

What are dangerous or hazardous goods?

Dangerous goods, also known as hazardous materials, are items or substances that pose a risk to health, safety, property, or the environment during transport. This category includes more than just the obvious industrial chemicals, with many common items used daily also subject to transport regulations.

Surprisingly common dangerous goods

Many everyday products you might not suspect are also classified as hazardous or dangerous goods, requiring strict adherence to international safety standards when shipping. These include:

• Personal care products: Items like perfumes, colognes, and aerosol sprays are classified as flammable liquids due to their alcohol content or compressed gas. This means they pose a fire risk in transit and must be packaged accordingly to ensure safety.

• Electronics: Laptops, mobile phones, and power banks are highly regulated because they contain lithium batteries. These are notorious fire risks and require specialized packaging and documentation to prevent short-circuiting and thermal runaway.
• Household items: Products such as certain paints, adhesives, and cleaning supplies often contain flammable liquids or corrosive agents. These substances can damage surrounding cargo or endanger personnel if the packaging fails.
• Hobby and sporting equipment: Items such as camping fuel, matches, and even some scuba gear fall under these regulations. The risk stems from flammable components or compressed air cylinders that are volatile under pressure changes during flight.

Understanding the classification system

The safe transport of hazardous materials is governed by a set of globally recognized rules, established by organizations like the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for air transport, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for sea transport.

These standardized systems classify dangerous goods into nine distinct classes. Understanding this framework is crucial for ensuring that every item is correctly handled, packaged, and transported with the necessary precautions to mitigate risk.

The nine classes of dangerous goods

The nine classes of dangerous goods are:

• Class 1: Explosives (e.g., fireworks, flares, ammunition): These substances have the potential to produce gases at temperatures, speeds, and pressures that can cause damage. Consequently, most items in this class are strictly forbidden or heavily restricted from general transport.
• Class 2: Gases (e.g., aerosols, compressed air cylinders, lighters): This includes gases that are compressed, liquefied, or dissolved, posing risks from flammability, toxicity, or pressure. Pressure changes during air transport, for example, can cause the contents to expand against the container walls, which is why specialized, pressure-resistant packaging is required.
• Class 3: Flammable liquids (e.g., paints, adhesives, perfumes, gasoline): These liquids have a low flash point, meaning they can ignite easily, posing a severe fire risk. The regulation of this class is critical as many everyday products, like perfumes, fall under this designation.
• Class 4: Flammable solids (e.g., matches, sulfur, firelighters): This class includes solids that are readily combustible, prone to spontaneous combustion, or dangerous when wet. These materials must be stored and segregated away from heat, friction, and moisture to prevent unintended ignition.
• Class 5: Oxidizers and organic peroxides (e.g., hair bleach, certain pool chemicals): These substances, while not necessarily combustible themselves, yield oxygen, which can cause or enhance the combustion of other materials. They are highly reactive and must be strictly segregated from other incompatible goods like flammable liquids.
• Class 6: Toxic and infectious substances (e.g., pesticides, medical waste, biological samples): These materials are liable to cause death, serious injury, or illness if swallowed, inhaled, or touched. This class requires the highest standard of specialized handling and packaging to prevent cross-contamination and exposure.
• Class 7: Radioactive materials (e.g., medical isotopes, industrial gauges): These items spontaneously emit harmful radiation and must be handled under rigorous safety protocols. Transporting them is tightly controlled to protect handlers, the public, and the environment from contamination.
• Class 8: Corrosives (e.g., acids, drain cleaners, wet-cell batteries): These substances chemically attack and severely damage living tissue or surrounding materials, such as metal containers. They must be packaged in highly durable, chemically non-reactive containers to prevent leakage and containment failure.
• Class 9: Miscellaneous (e.g., dry ice, lithium batteries, magnetized materials): This category includes materials that present a hazard during transport but do not fit into any other primary class. Common examples, like lithium batteries, are highly regulated due to the fire and thermal runaway risks they pose to aircrafts.

The step-by-step guide to shipping dangerous goods

To ensure compliance and safety, every shipment of hazardous materials must follow a strict, multi-step process. Adhering to these sequential steps is the shipper's legal responsibility and the only way to minimize risk.

Step 1: Identification and classification

The first and most critical step is to accurately identify and classify your goods. This classification forms the foundation for all subsequent requirements, as it involves determining the correct UN number, the proper shipping name, the hazard class, and the packing group.

Step 2: Correct packaging and labeling

Once classified, all dangerous goods must be shipped in UN-rated packaging that has passed rigorous performance tests designed to withstand shocks and pressure changes during transit. For optimal communication and safety, this packaging must also be clearly marked and labeled with the correct UN symbol, the Proper Shipping Name (PSN), and all mandatory hazard labels.

Step 3: Essential documentation

The most important document required for your shipment is the Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods (DGD). This is more than just paperwork, it’s a cornerstone of global compliance and safety, legally certifying that the shipment has been correctly classified, packaged, and labeled according to all international shipping regulations. Crucially, this document must be completed and signed by a person who has received appropriate, up-to-date training, as this signature transfers legal liability and responsibility to the shipper.

Step 4: Partnering with a certified carrier

It’s important to remember that not all carriers are equipped to handle dangerous goods, and since compliance is the shipper's legal responsibility, the choice of partner is crucial. By working with a trusted logistics partner, such as DHL Express, you gain immediate access to certified specialists and the necessary infrastructure to ensure safe and compliant transport, reducing your risk and liability throughout the entire shipping journey.

Partnering for safety and compliance

Ultimately, successfully shipping dangerous goods requires meticulous adherence to every step in the process, from accurate classification to preparing the final documentation. A single oversight can lead to severe consequences, including delayed shipments, significant fines and damage to your brand's reputation.

To mitigate this liability, working with a world-class logistics provider like DHL Express is essential. DHL Express simplifies compliance, offering specialized international shipping services that also include expert guidance on import duties and taxes, certified handling, and robust shipment tracking to protect your business at every stage.

So, ready to simplify compliance and protect your business from the costly consequences of non-adherence? Create a DHL Express business account today, or contact their customer care team to find out more.