Safety marks must be placed on means of containment used to transport dangerous substances. There are many types of safety marks, among which:

• labels;
• placards;
• signs and marks.

Labels must be placed on means of containment equal to or less than 450 litres and placards must be placed on means of containment of 450 litres or more.

The consignor is responsible for placing or having placed the label of the primary or subsidiary class 1 (as the case may be) on each small means of containment containing dangerous substances.

The carrier must ensure that the labels remain in place during the trip.

The label must be displayed:

• on any side of the outer surface of a small means of containment other than the side on which it is intended to rest or to be stacked during transport; in the case of a label for dangerous goods included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials, on two opposite sides of the outer surface of a small means of containment, other than the side on which it is intended to rest or to be stacked during transport;
• on or near the shoulder of a gas cylinder. The shipping name, the technical name (as the case may be), and the UN number of dangerous substances must be displayed on small means of containment in the following manner: the shipping name, beside the label, followed by the technical name in parentheses; the UN number, beside the primary class label or in the centre of the label inside a white rectangle.

The consignor must display or have displayed the placards on the side and at each end of a large means of containment containing dangerous substances. The consignor must provide the carrier with the placards except when:

• the placards are already in place;
• the placards are not the right ones because the large means of containment contains other dangerous substances.

The carrier must provide and display, or remove, the dangerous goods safety marks if the requirements for dangerous goods safety marks change while the dangerous goods are in transport. He must ensure that they remain displayed.

The UN number may be displayed either:

or

inside a white rectangle on the placard; or on an orange panel right beside the placard.

Placards are required when:

• an emergency response assistance plan is required;
• a liquid or gas is in direct contact with the large means of containment (bulk shipment);
• the substance is included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials, for which a Category III - Yellow label is required;
• the gross mass is greater than 500 kg.

To determine which placards must be displayed on the large means of containment, consult the diagrams below.

Look for the anchors ¹ and  ² in the above image.

When the dangerous goods are the oxidizing gases listed below, the oxidizing gas placard must be displayed instead of the primary class placard:

• UN1072, oxygen, compressed;
• UN1073, oxygen, refrigerated liquid;
• UN3156, compressed gas, oxidizing, N.O.S.;
• UN3157, liquefied gas, oxidizing, N.O.S.

In addition to the primary class placard, the elevated temperature sign must be displayed for dangerous goods that are in transport in a large means of containment:

		UN3256,elevated temperature liquid, flammable, N.O.S., Class 3;
		UN3257, elevated temperature liquid, N.O.S., Class 9; UN3258, elevated temperature solid, N.O.S., Class 9.

Example 1

Placards To Be Displayed on a Closed Vehicle

Example 2

Placards and UN Number To Be Displayed on a Closed Vehicle

(1) A placard must be displayed on each side and on each end of a large means of containment in respect of dangerous substances that require an ERAP and that fall into one of the following subsidiary classes:

• Class 1;
• Class 4.3;
• Class 61., packing group I;
• Class 8 (UN2977 and UN2978).

The class number must not be displayed in the lower portion of the subsidiary placard.

(2)Despite the requirement covered by section 4.15, the display of a UN number does not concern Class 1 dangerous substances (explosives).