Dangerous Goods Shipping and Compliance in India
Image: Daniel Christensen via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0.
Dangerous goods move under a separate regulatory framework from ordinary cargo, enforced for sea by the IMDG Code and for air by the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. The rules are technical, but the practical objective is simple: everyone handling the consignment at every point in the chain must be able to identify the hazard and react correctly. Almost every serious DG incident traces back to a failure of that communication.
Classification comes first
Every dangerous substance or article is assigned a UN number and given a proper shipping name, hazard class and subsidiary risk label. Packing groups indicate degree of danger within a class. The IMDG Code governs sea transport and IATA DGR governs air, and the two do not classify identically in every case. Some materials are permitted by sea but forbidden by air, and lithium batteries are the most common example importers get wrong. Classification must be established against the specific mode of transport, not once and generically.
Packaging, marking and labelling
Goods must be packed in UN-certified packaging of the correct type for the substance and packing group, and that packaging must be tested and marked to prove it. Every package and every overpack must be marked and labelled with the hazard class, the UN number, the proper shipping name and the shipper’s identification. Placards are required on the vehicle and freight container at specified sizes. Markings that are faded, obscured by other labels, or inconsistent with the documentation are treated as non-compliant, and the consignment will be refused at the terminal.
Documentation
The dangerous goods declaration, or shipper’s declaration, is the operative document and must be completed correctly and signed by the shipper. It is accompanied by a safety data sheet, and the transport document must state that dangerous goods are present and identify the class. For air, the word Forbidden in any field is an absolute bar. A small error in the declaration can ground a shipment even where the goods themselves are entirely safe.
Air freight and lithium batteries
Lithium batteries in equipment, and standalone lithium cells and batteries, are the single most common source of air freight disruption. State of charge limits, packaging requirements and labelling rules have tightened progressively, and consignments found in breach are offloaded at the destination or removed from the aircraft. If your product contains a lithium cell, it must be declared at booking by a shipper who has completed the applicable training, not worked out at the cargo terminal.
Working with a compliant forwarder
Ask a forwarder for their dangerous goods handling procedure, their trained-staff certification and their acceptance process. A forwarder who will book a DG consignment without seeing a safety data sheet and a completed declaration is passing that liability to you. A responsible one will decline the booking until the paperwork is correct, which is an inconvenience and also the reason they are still trading.
Harmony Logistics arranges dangerous goods movements under IMDG and IATA terms with documentation verified before acceptance. Contact us through our enquiry page to discuss a DG consignment before you book.
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