Whether you’re circulating in the streets, avenues or great highways, you might cross with a transport of dangerous or hazardous materials.
It’s very common to see them but a few we ask what to do in case these great trucks have an accident and be witness of that.
Today we will talk about these situations, what to do if we are before an accident of this class and how to identify the different hazardous materials that they are transporting.
Join us to discover, and just for caution, don’t forget your safety goggles.
How to identify the transportation of hazardous materials?
Normally, transports carry hazardous materials and residuals that are identified to simple sight. Mainly is about cargo trucks or pipes.
However, their hazard can vary depending on their fright. This can be from flammable liquids to harmful gases. The million-dollar question is “how can I identify what they transport?”.
The key is in a small but very important detail. To know what is this last can be the key to alert to corresponding authorities about the possible danger they have to front.
You must know that even though for the law, no transport is obliged to carry a caption that warns “caution, hazardous materials”, or a similar one. What it is obligatory to set, at least, is a label that warns this.
Each label must have diamond shape of more than 7.8 in per side, and must be adhered to a visible zone of the truck.
Specifications of labels
These labels that must have all the transportations of hazardous materials, these work as a system to identify which are the hazardous substances that vehicle is carrying
This will allow authorities obtain necessary information for the purpose of a correct management of these in case of accident, it can be a rollover or impact. Even, work for the motorists themselves, due can take the necessary measures of driving to reduce the dangers.
Thus, the labels are regulated through the NOM-004-SCT/2000. The rule says that must have three types of information. Information is the symbol of the material, identification number and number of class or risk division.
The symbol is in the top part of the label; is an image that exemplifies the element that transports. Identification number is inside of a rectangle at the center and represents the number of the substance or material. Finally, under, is located the number of class or risk division.
Classification
All transport of dangerous or hazardous materials must also have a classification. This, due all the materials that transport can be in different states from solids to liquids and gases.
And, are classified in the following way:
- Explosives
- Gases
- Flammable Liquid and combustible liquid
- Flammable solid
- Oxidizer and organic peroxide
- Poison (toxic) and poison inhalation hazard
- Radioactive
- Corrosive
- Miscellaneous
In the following image you can appreciate them by their category:
What should I do if I see an accident with the transportation of hazardous materials?
We aren’t exempt of presence an accident with a transport of HazMat, whether is in the streets or highway. For that, is important to know are certain rules to follow when this occurs.
The main that was ingrained since children when seeing an accident is “if I don’t help, I don’t disturb”.
This may sound childish, but is true, in these cases is better to follow it. In first place, stay to presence an accident also put us at risk of being part of it. We can be injured and far to help, we will complicate the situation.
This isn’t in your possibilities to help, and above all, if already exist specialized authorities in the place of the incident, the best is to leave them to their work.
In case there isn’t someone else and we can help, before anything, we have to call to the emergency services to inform about the situation.
The following must be done carefully and just when you don’t put your life at risk: if possible, get close enough of vehicle, just the necessary to see and identify the already mentioned elements.
The data obtained from that will allow you to know what kind of hazardous residuals are.By calling to authorities, ti provide them the information.
Even though you should expose your life, if it is possible to help to the injured people, be careful. First, get close to them with the wind in your back, this will help to gases get away from you instead inhaled them.
Never touch the spilled materials. Try to cover you mouth and nose to don’t breathe the toxic and hazardous material. Finally, if you could rescue to someone, get away from the place. The perimeter of safety will depend in the type of substances and hazardous residuals that are involved, so you should take the greater possible distance of the site.
It’s important that before provide any help, evaluate the situation considering all this. Remember, the important thing is to not complicate the situation for the emergency services.
