Tips for Safely Transporting Chemicals

Transporting chemicals can be a risky endeavor unless you follow safety guidelines in place for shipping any type of chemicals, from nutritional and beauty care chemicals to industrial chemicals. Knowing how to transport chemicals will keep your business, the shipping company, and the purchasing party safe. Read below for tips from Bell Chem on the safest method to transport chemicals.

A supplier label is provided or affixed (attached) by the supplier and will appear on all hazardous products received at a workplace in Canada. If the hazardous product is always used in the container with the supplier label, no other label is required.

A workplace label is required when a hazardous product is produced (made) at the workplace and used in that workplace, a hazardous product is decanted (e.g., transferred or poured) into another container, or a supplier label becomes lost or illegible (unreadable).

* Initial supplier identifier – There are two exceptions to this requirement:

• In a situation where a hazardous product is being sold by a distributor, the distributor may replace the name, address and telephone number of the initial supplier with their own contact information.
• A supplier label must be affixed to every chemical leaving a manufacturer’s premises. This label needs to contain a product identifier (brand name, chemical name, et cetera), initial supplier information; and any hazard symbols, signal words, simple statements explaining the hazard and supplemental label information for more information concerning product classification.
• Chemical symbols are necessary for storage as well as shipment. Transporting dangerous chemicals without proper containment may lead to leakage, breakage, or inadvertent changes in the chemical properties. Symbols may include “corrosive,” “toxic,” “flammable,” or “oxidizing,” to name a few.
• Safety considerations are extremely important for transportation. While some chemicals may require refrigeration throughout the journey, others may need to be packed in Styrofoam or dry ice. Know what specific considerations your chemicals require, such as the type of vehicle or packaging needed to ship, the safety equipment for each chemical’s safe transport, whether the chemical can be stacked safely or if it must be shipped without stacking, and the physical conditions the chemical needs.
• Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) must accompany each chemical. These important sheets explain critical information pertaining to their chemical, including their properties and how to handle them, and the shipping process.

Knowing the correct procedure for shipping chemicals means the chemical shipped is the chemical received with no physical or chemical breakdown en route. Bell Chem has perfected its shipping practices and will safely transport any of its chemicals to you. Give the sanitation, reagent, and beauty care chemicals company, Bell Chem, a call at 407-339-2355 (BELL), and read our blogs for more information on our chemical inventory and safe practices.