Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods

Forty-first session

Geneva, 25 June – 4 July 2012
Item 3 (a) of the provisional agenda

Listing, classification and packing:
proposals of amendments to the list of dangerous goods of Chapter 3.2

Assignment of packing groups to articles

Transmitted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA)

Introduction

1. Paragraph 2.0.1.3 identifies that packing groups are assigned to substances, other than those of Classes 1, 2 and 7, Divisions 5.2 and 6.2 and self-reactive substances of Division 4.1. The absence of any reference to assignment of packing groups to articles for Classes 3, 4, 8 and 9 and Division 5.1 suggests that articles are not assigned packing groups.

2. A review of the dangerous goods list supports that position for articles in Classes 3 and 8; fuel cell cartridges (UN nos. 3473 and 3477) and batteries (UN nos. 2794, 2795, 2800 and 3028) are all listed with no packing group assigned.

3. For the other classes and divisions some articles have been assigned packing groups and others have not. In Division 4.3, fuel cell cartridges (UN 3473) do not have a packing group, but batteries containing sodium (UN 3292) has been assigned to Packing Group II. The only article in Division 5.1, chemical oxygen generator (UN 3356) has been assigned Packing Group II and Class 9 is similar to Divisions 4.3, with an inconsistent application. Only air bag inflators, air bag modules and seat-belt pretensioners (UN 3268) and lithium batteries (UN nos. 3090, 3091, 3480 and 3481) have all been assigned to packing groups.

4. The inconsistent application of packing groups to articles creates problems for dangerous goods trainers in explaining any rationale to students trying to understand the regulatory structure and it also creates problems for all parties in the supply chain in applying the regulatory requirements consistently.

5. The Sub-Committee is invited to consider if there is any value in the application of packing groups to articles, which must therefore appear on the dangerous goods transport document. It is recognised that the Sub-Committee may, for safety reasons, require a certain standard of packaging to be applied to articles, however in these instances this can be specified in the applicable packing instruction without any requirement for a packing group as part of the dangerous goods transport information.

6. If the view of the Sub-Committee is that there is no requirement to assign packing groups to articles it is proposed to revise the applicable entries in the dangerous goods list to remove reference to the packing group. At the same time the Sub-Committee may consider if there is a benefit in including a clear statement in 2.0.1.3 and potentially the Guiding Principles to the effect that articles in the applicable classes and divisions are not assigned a packing group. Some indicative text is provided below.

Proposal

               6  Revise the dangerous goods list as follows:

7. Revise paragraph 2.0.1.3 as follows:

2.0.1.3  For packing purposes, substances other than those of Classes 1, 2 and 7, divisions 5.2 and 6.2 and other than self-reactive substances of Division 4.1 are assigned to three packing groups in accordance with the degree of danger they present:

Packing group I: Substances presenting high danger;

Packing group II: Substances presenting medium danger; and

Packing group III: Substances presenting low danger.

The packing group to which a substance is assigned is indicated in the Dangerous Goods List in Chapter 3.2.

Articles assigned to Classes 3, 4, 8 and 9 and Divisions 5.1 and 6.1 are not assigned packing groups. For packing purposes any requirement for a specific packaging performance level is set out in the packing instruction applicable.

联合国危险货物运输专家和全球化学品统一分类和标签制度专家委员会

危险货物运输专家分委员会

第四十一次会议

日内瓦, 2012年6月25 日 – 7月4日
议程第3 (a) 项

列表，分类和包装：
对修订3.2章危险货物列表的提案

物品的包装类别的划分

由国际航空运输协会提交(IATA)

介绍

1. 第2.0.1.3段说明除了第1类，第2类和第7类， 第5.2项和6.2项以及4.1项的自反应物质以外的其他物质应划分合适的包装类别。由于没有提及对第3类，第4类，第8类和第9类以及5.1项的物品进行包装类别的划分，使人会认为对物品无需划分包装类别。

2. 审查危险货物列表，第3类和第8类的物品支持这个观点；燃料电池盒（UN3473和UN3477）以及电池（UN 2794,2795,2800和3028）都未划分包装类别。

3. 对于其他类别和项别，一些物品已被划分了包装类别而其余的没有。在4.3项中，燃料电池盒（UN 3473）没有包装类别，但含钠的电池（UN 3292）已被划分了包装类别Ⅱ。5.1项中唯一的物品，化学氧气发生器（UN 3356）已被划分了包装类别Ⅱ。第9类与4.3项类似，在是否划分包装类别上不一致。只有安全气囊，安全气囊组件和安全带预拉装置（UN3268）和锂电池（UN3090,3091,3480和3481）划分了包装类别。

4. 由于不同物品在是否划分包装类别上的不一致，造成危险品培训员在对学生讲解合理了解管理机制时产生了问题，也带来供应链中各方在使用管理要求的一致性方面的问题。

5. 请分委员会考虑对物品使用包装类别方面是否有价值，这些包装类别须出现在危险货物运输文件上。一般认为分委员会可能因为安全的原因，对物品的运输包装达到一定的标准，然而，在这些情况下，可以在使用的包装说明中规定这些要求这，而不是对作为危险物货物运输信息的一部分的包装类别做出要求。

6. 若分委员会没有要求对物品划分包装类别，建议修订危险货物列表中的相关条目，去掉所提及的包装类别。同时，分委员会也可能会考虑到，在2.0.1.3中包括一个明确的声明可能有益，并给出适用的类别和项别的物品不划分包装类别的指导原则。下面提供了说明性的文本。

提议

6  危险货物列表修订如下：

7  第2.0.1.3节修订如下：    

2.0.1.3 为了包装目的，除了第1类、第2类和第7类， 5.2项、6.2项以及4.1项自反应物质以外的其他物质，按照它们具有的危险程度，划分为三个包装类别：

包装类别I：  显示高度危险性的物质；

包装类别II：显示中等危险性的物质；

包装类别III：显示轻度危险性的物质。

3.2章的危险货物列表中列出了物质被划入的包装类别。

第3类，第4类，第8类和第9类以及5.1项和6.1项中的物品不划分包装类别。为了包装目的，在适用的包装说明中列出对具体的包装性能水平的相关要求。