What are Dangerous Goods? 

Dangerous goods are a group of items or substances that have been classified as being dangerous for transportation, whether that be by air, rail or road. These items or substances are known for having properties that are flammable, toxic, corrosive, explosive, or infectious.  

What is the dangerous goods act? 

The Dangerous Goods Act is the legislation set in place by the Australian Government to ensure safe transportation of any item or substance that is classified as Dangerous Goods. 

Please be aware that legislation for the transportation of Dangerous Goods can vary between states and territories, so ensure that you study the relevant legislation for your state prior to transporting any item or substance that can fall under this classification. 

You can find your states legislation here. 

What are the 9 classes of Dangerous Goods? 

The 9 classes can be found below: 

• Explosives 
• Flammable Gases 
• Flammable Liquids
• Flammable Solids 
• Oxidizing 
• Toxic and Infectious
• Radioactive
• Corrosive 

How can you tell if a product is a dangerous goods? 

Dangerous Goods must follow a specific set of rules to ensure they are identified and transported correctly and safely. You can use the below as a guide to identify if items or substances are Dangerous Goods: 

• Check the label on the item.
• Check any transport or shipping documentation and manifests.
• Contact the Manufacturer or Supplier of the Product. 
• The ADG Code has a specific Dangerous Goods List that you can view, Column 7 specifically must be checked to ensure the product is not excluded by a special provision. 
• Have the Products tested by a reputable source to ensure they meet the classification criteria of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, or the ADG Code. 
• View the products Safety Data Sheet. It was also previously known as the Materials Safety Data Sheet. 

You can find more information on your states legislation here. 

How do I package and ship Dangerous Goods safely? 

It’s recommended to seek training from a reputable company or source to ensure that you’re following all regulations and procedures when shipping Dangerous Goods. The shipper is responsible for ensuring the shipment is classified and declared correctly and must be packed and labelled with all correct paperwork (including transit type, country or territory of origin, and the destination). 

Visy Boxes & More can assist in developing packaging which is suitable for shipping Dangerous Goods, which includes testing and approval. This process does include a charge for covering all testing costs after approval has been provided by a Competent Authority.  

As part of the testing process, sample or dummy products including empty inner packaging, closure & lids and other fitments or void fillers (if applicable) equivalent to 8 boxes will need to be supplied. Dummy product is not required to be supplied if your actual product for transport is in LIQUID, GRANULAR or POWDERED form. If product contains explosive (i.e., air bag) dummy product should not contain any traces of explosives. 

Any proposed changes to product specifications of the packaging such as board grade, size, design etc will require re-testing and assessment. 

We offer a range of packing tapes and stickers that can assist with ensuring your Dangerous Goods are shipped safely and securely.

Check out our range of tapes and stickers:

Fragile Tape - 48mm x 66m

SKU#: 4866FRA

Special Price $1.85 Regular Price $1,000.00 As low as $1.67

Fragile Stickers - Box of 500

SKU#: FRAGLABEL

Special Price $71.61 Regular Price $1,000.00 As low as $64.45

Security Tape - 48mm x 66m

SKU#: 4866SECSTA

Special Price $1.31 Regular Price $1,000.00 As low as $1.18

Top Load Only Tape - 48mm x 66m

SKU#: 4866TLOSTA

Special Price $2.11 Regular Price $1,000.00 As low as $1.90

Caution Tapes

SKU#: ZINQ_000096

Enquire

Need more info on the Australian Dangerous Goods Code? You can check out the details here.