‘Hazardous substances’ and ‘dangerous goods’ sound almost the same and are often confused. Both terms describe hazardous properties, but originate from different areas of law: ‘hazardous substances’ from chemicals and health and safety legislation, and ‘dangerous goods’ from transport law. For businesses that use, store and order cleaning products, this distinction is important.
A comparison of hazardous substances and dangerous goods
| Hazardous substance | Dangerous goods | |
|---|---|---|
| What it’s all about | Handling the substance: workplace, storage, health, environment | Transport by road, rail, water and air |
| Legal basis | CLP Regulation, REACH, Hazardous Substances Ordinance, TRGS | ADR (road), RID (rail), IMDG Code (sea), ICAO-TI (air) |
| Labelling | Hazard pictograms (red diamond), H- and P-phrases | Hazard labels, UN number, orange warning signs on the vehicle |
| In the safety data sheet | Section 2 (Classification) | Section 14 (Transport details) |
| Person in charge at the workplace | Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, Risk Assessment | Dangerous Goods Officer, Dispatch |
Hazardous substances: safe handling
Hazardous substances are substances and mixtures with hazardous properties, such as being flammable, corrosive, toxic or hazardous to aquatic environments. The CLP Regulation governs how they are classified and labelled. The label features hazard pictograms as well as H-statements (hazard statements) and P-statements (precautionary statements). The safety data sheet provides the health and safety officer with information on the properties and ingredients of the substance or mixture, enabling them to carry out a risk assessment and determine the necessary protective measures.
Dangerous goods: safe transport
Dangerous goods are substances and articles that may pose a hazard during transport. They are classified in accordance with dangerous goods regulations, transported in approved packaging and labelled with hazard labels and a UN number. The consignment is accompanied by a transport document. There are exemptions for small quantities, such as for ‘Limited Quantities’. We explain what the UN markings on packaging mean in this article UN authorisation.
One without the other
A product may be classified as a hazardous substance without being classified as dangerous goods. An example from our range: the release agent Antistick 130 bears the GHS08 pictogram (health hazard), but according to the safety data sheet, it is not classified as dangerous goods under ADR. Conversely, a substance may be subject to stricter regulations during transport than when being handled in the workplace. It is therefore always essential to consult the safety data sheet: Section 2 for classification, Section 14 for transport.
What this means for your cleaners
If a cleaning product is neither a hazardous substance nor a dangerous good, many things become much simpler: no hazard pictograms, less effort required for storage and training, and transport is not subject to dangerous goods regulations. Many of Eco-Nova’s cleaning products are not classified as hazardous and are not classified as dangerous goods. However, for certain tasks, cleaning products containing hazardous substances are still required today. In such cases, we ensure the correct classification, suitable packaging and the necessary documentation.
You can read about how to replace labelled cleaning products in the article Replacing hazardous substances in cleaning products.