With tons of hazardous materials and wastes being transported throughout Canada and across the United States every year, it is important to ensure the safety of this travel. These shipments can include everything from explosives, flammables, corrosive or toxic chemicals to spent reactor fuel, low-level radioactive wastes, and disease-causing biological agents – all very dangerous stuff.

Unfortunately, many accidents involving these substances on highways are reported each year, with more accidents occurring during rail, water, or air transportation, and many more go unreported.

The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDG) was created to minimize the danger posed by transporting, offering, and handling hazardous materials to those using highways, railroads, waterways, or traveling by air in Canada.

What are Dangerous goods? Dangerous goods are any product, substance, or organism that is classified under the regulations or by its nature conforms to the classification criteria for one or more classes of dangerous goods or hazardous wastes.

In other words, they are materials or items with hazardous properties which, if not properly controlled, present a potential hazard to human health and safety, infrastructure and/ or their means of transport.

Who does this affect? The TDG Regulations require all persons involved in the handling, offering for transport, and transporting of dangerous goods to receive training. A TDG employee is any person who as part of their job directly affects dangerous goods. This includes any individual, either self-employed or employed by a TDG employer.

The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations are intended to promote the safe transportation of hazardous material through effective communication of information concerning the dangers of the materials being transported. Through this communication, incidents are avoided or, if an incident occurs, emergency responders are properly prepared.

Are you carrying dangerous goods? If so, it would be wise to see if you are in need of either getting training or updating your current training. HSI can help.