Before authorizing the shipper to take possession of dangerous substances to be transported, the consignor must fill out and give to the shipper a handwritten or printed- paper shipping document.
The shipping document must contain the following information:
the name and address of the shipper’s establishment in Canada;
the date on which the document was filled out or submitted;
a description of each dangerous substance, in the order indicated:
the shipping name;
the primary class;
the letter of the explosives compatibility group, as the case may be;
the subsidiary class or classes, as the case may be;
the UN number *;
the packing or risk group, as the case may be;
the number of the risk group in the case of infectious substances;
the quantity of each substance and the unit of measurement used to express the quantity;
the number of small means of containment for each dangerous substance, as the case may be;
mention of the 24-hour number at which the consignor can be reached;
the telephone number of a person other than the consignor who can provide technical information (the CANUTEC number may not be used without the organization’s written authorization);
the nature of a change in the quantity of dangerous substances or the number of means of containment during transport;
any additional information required, as the case may be.
When the carrier takes charge of a shipment of dangerous substances, he must ensure that he has the necessary shipping document. He must give the shipping document or a photocopy of it to the person to whom he entrusts the dangerous substances.
A person may simultaneously be the consignor and the carrier of a given shipment, e.g. a plant that transports the dangerous substances that it manufactures.
A consignor and a shipper must preserve a copy of the shipping document in one form or another for at least two years.
The Regulation does not prescribe the use of any particular form to draft the shipping document. All of the information required must be included in French or in English and be written legibly and indelibly.
* This number may appear in front of the regulatory name.
Sample Shipping Document
Consignor:
Name:
Date:
Address:
Shipping name (technical name, as the case may be)
Primary class (explosives compatibility group)
Subsidiary class (as the case may be)
UN number
Packing or risk group
Quantity
Number of small means of containent
4-hour number at which the consignor can be reached:
Reference number of the emergency response assistance plan (ERAP), as the case may be:
Telephone number to immediately implement the ERAP:
In the case of dangerous substances that are part of the following classes:
Class 4.1 (flammable solids)
Regulation temperature and critical temperature
Class 5.2 (organic peroxides)
Regulation temperature and critical temperature
Class 7 (radioactive materials)
Any additional information required pursuant to the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations
(The regulations stipulate other indications concerning certain dangerous substances.)
Location of the Shipping Document
The driver of a power unit that is attached to or is part of the cargo unit of a road vehicle transporting dangerous goods must ensure that a copy of the shipping document is kept in a pocket mounted on the driver's door or within the driver's reach if the driver is in the power unit, or if the driver is out of the power unit, in a pocket mounted on the driver's door, on the driver's seat or in a location that is clearly visible to anyone entering through the driver's door.
