Policy & Compliance
Common mistakes made on dangerous goods shipment notes
A look at some of the common mistakes made on dangerous goods notes by companies transporting dangerous goods
BIFA noted the following article originally published by Croner-i and reproduces it here for the
Background W hen transporting dangerous goods, information is legally required to be provided to the carrier in a traceable format. The transport document used to provide this information is often known as a dangerous goods note (DGN), dangerous goods consignment note, or transport documentation. The requirements for dangerous goods notes are set out in Chapter 5.4 of ADR and 5.4 of the IMDG Code. The DGN must be prepared in an official language of the forwarding country and also in English, French or German if the official language is not one of these. For some countries, there are multilateral agreements in place that allow relaxations to this rule. For example, M85 allows the DGN to be written in Danish, Swedish or Norwegian if the consignment is being transported between Denmark, Sweden or Norway. Multilateral Agreement M178 permits the use of Portuguese or Spanish for carriage between Portugal and Spain. Information required on the dangerous goods note The following information is mandatory on the dangerous goods consignment note: • The UN Number. • Proper shipping name. • Class (with subsidiary hazard, if any, in brackets). • Packing group (where assigned). • Number and description of
packages. • Total quantity of each item of different UN Number. • Name/address of consignor. • Name/address of consignee(s). • Where assigned, the tunnel code, except where it is known that the journey will not involve passing through a relevant tunnel (not required for sea). • Container/vehicle packing certificate and flash point – for containers and vehicles taking a sea voyage as part of their journey, the vehicle/container packing certificate must be completed. • Also, for shipments taking a voyage by sea, if the dangerous goods have a flash point of 60°C or below then the minimum closed up flash point shall be indicated in brackets, ie (55°C). Common mistakes Let’s look at some common mistakes found on dangerous goods notes. Incorrect order or missing information – The regulations quite clearly state that the information on the type of dangerous goods must be provided in the prescribed order, namely: the UN Number, Proper shipping name, Class (with subsidiary hazard, if any, in brackets), Packing group (where assigned) and tunnel code. Often there is information missing or it is presented in the incorrect order. Examples of such permitted
dangerous goods descriptions are: • “UN 1098 ALLYL ALCOHOL, 6.1 (3), I, (C/D)” or, • “UN 1098, ALLYL ALCOHOL, 6.1 (3), PG I, (C/D)”. Special provision 274 – Dangerous goods that are transported under not otherwise specified (NOS) names are assigned the Special Provision 274 (SP274). SP274 under ADR simply states that the provisions of ADR 3.1.2.8 apply. ADR 3.1.2.8 refers to generic or names and stipulates the requirement to insert the technical name (in brackets) after the proper shipping name (PSN) NOS entry. The only exception to withholding this name is if national law or international convention prohibits its disclosure if it is a controlled substance. The technical name should be a recognised chemical name, or chemical group name; trade names are not allowed. Additional words such as “contains”, “containing”, “solution” or “mixture” may also be used, as may percentages, “UN1993 FLAMMABLE LIQUID, N.O.S. (CONTAINS XYLENE AND BENZENE), 3, II”. When the dangerous goods being transported are a mixture, no more than two of the constituents should be shown. When deciding which constituents to show, the most hazardous substance or those which most predominantly contribute to the hazard must be shown. Examples of the PSN with the technical name for NOS entries are shown in ADR 3.1.2.8.1.3, as follows: • “UN2902 PESTICIDE, LIQUID, TOXIC,
benefit of Members
“ The DGN must be prepared in an of fi cial language of the forwarding country and also in English, French or German if the of fi cial language is not one of these
20 | August 2025
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