The chemical industry is important to the international industry, hence the high demand for professional transportation in this sector. How to manage risks in the process of transporting chemicals?
What legal standards are subject to the transportation of chemicals?
Due to the harmful potential of hazardous products, they are subject to strict controls. Here, each country implements its own legal documents guiding standards for the transportation of chemicals. For example, in Poland it is the Law of August 19, 2011 on the transportation of dangerous goods.
At the international level, the following legal acts in particular play a key role:
- European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), made in Geneva on September 30, 1957 – sets standards for procedures and rules for the safe transport of dangerous goods by road,
- CLP Regulation – serves to internationally standardize the classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures.
It is also worth bearing in mind that logistics and transport procedures may vary depending on the exact cargo being transported. In this regard, hazardous cargoes are divided into nine classes:
- explosives,
- radioactive materials,
- gases,
- flammable liquids,
- flammable solid materials,
- oxidizing materials and oxidizers,
- poisonous materials,
- corrosive materials,
- various hazardous materials and objects.
The obligation to apply certain safety measures rests not only with the carrier, but with all entities involved in the chemical supply chain management process. For example, warehouses must be adapted to hold such cargoes, such as through proper ventilation or the implementation of strict fire regulations.
The human factor – crucial in hazardous materials logistics
It is impossible to completely exclude the human factor from logistics and transportation processes. On the other hand, it is this aspect that can fail, with serious consequences.
The transportation of chemicals can only be handled by those who have the necessary knowledge and practical skills. For this reason, it is best to rely on professional cargo transportation for the chemical industry carried out by a trusted partner.
Here it is important to remember that international law requires carriers to properly train their drivers on how to handle dangerous cargo. This is aimed at limiting risky behavior on the road, as well as prompt implementation of proper procedures when a situation threatening to spill chemicals into the environment occurs. These trainings should be evidenced by appropriate documentation that remains available to authorized services. They must also include modules relating to, among other things:
- dealing with emergency situations,
- rapid response to potential problems,
- first aid in an emergency situation.
Proper packaging and labeling of hazardous cargo
Risk management in the transportation of chemicals also relates to properly securing them for transport. Cargo of this type should be transported only by specially adapted means of transport that are insensitive to these particular chemicals, and thus do not pose a risk of loss of integrity and contamination.
Proper marking of cargo also plays an important role in this process. It mainly serves the participants in the logistics and transport process, who can see at a glance what kind of cargo they are dealing with and what measures should be implemented for safety reasons. The marking of cargo with chemicals is also a signal to emergency services indicating how to prepare to work with a particular type of chemical and how to reduce its harmful effects on people and the environment after an accident.
It should also not be forgotten that cargo from the chemical industry often requires transportation under controlled conditions, such as the indicated temperature and humidity. It’s worth helping in this regard with modern technology and AI solutions, which will make it easier to tailor it to specific chemicals, as well as to control it in real time at every stage of transport.
Customized logistics solutions for improved safety
While route optimization and real-time cargo tracking are important in transportation for many industries, they take on special importance in the case of chemicals. In these tasks, it is worthwhile to be supported by innovations such as artificial intelligence, IoT or Big Data, for example. Using it, it is possible to prepare scenarios based on a huge amount of data that would be difficult for the human brain to process.
The use of modern technology reduces the risk of human error, which could prove catastrophic in its consequences. This increases the chance that the process will run smoothly and without harm to both people and the environment.
