Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations identify the various types of “safety marks” required on means of containment for dangerous goods. A safety mark includes a design, symbol, device, sign, label, placard, letter, word, number, or abbreviation, or any combination of these things, that is to be displayed:

• On dangerous goods, on means of containment, or transport used in handling, offering for transport, or transporting dangerous goods, or at facilities used in those activities; and
• To show the nature of the danger or to indicate compliance with the safety standards prescribed for the means of containment or transport or the facilities.

A certification safety mark is a design, symbol, device, letter, word, number, or abbreviation displayed on a means of containment or means of transport to indicate compliance with a safety standard.

A dangerous goods safety mark is a label, placard, orange panel, sign, mark, letter, word, number, or abbreviation used to identify dangerous goods and show the nature of the danger posed by those goods.

Dangerous goods safety marks must be visible, legible, and displayed against a background of contrasting color. They must be made of durable, weather-resistant materials that will withstand wear and tear without detachment or deterioration of the color, symbols, letters, text, or numbers. Color requirements are established by the regulations.

• Consignors, transporters, and carriers of dangerous goods in Canada must meet specific requirements of the TDG Regulations.
• The display of false or misleading dangerous goods safety marks is a violation of the law.

Responsibilities for dangerous goods safety marks vary depending on their role in transporting or offering dangerous goods, according to Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations.

Consignor responsibilities

Before importing dangerous goods or allowing a carrier in Canada to take possession of dangerous goods for transport, a consignor is required to:

• Display or ensure the display of the required dangerous goods safety marks on each small means of containment and each large means of containment that contains dangerous goods, and
• Provide to the carrier the dangerous goods safety marks for dangerous goods the consignor is offering for transport or importing and that are to be transported in a large means of containment. (Note: the consignor is not required to provide dangerous goods safety marks if they are already displayed on the large means of containment or they are not the correct marks to display because other dangerous goods are present in the large means of containment).

Transporter/carrier responsibilities

The transporter or carrier of dangerous goods is required to ensure all of the following while dangerous goods are in transport:

• Ensure the dangerous goods safety marks remain displayed on the small means of containment;
• Display required dangerous goods safety marks on a large means of containment unless they are already displayed, and ensure the safety marks remain displayed; and
• Provide and display, or remove, the dangerous goods safety marks if requirements for them change.

Loading prior to safety marks on large means of containment

A person must not load or pack dangerous goods into a large means of containment for transport unless, immediately before loading or packing, the large means of containment has displayed on it the dangerous goods safety marks that will be required when loading or packing is complete.

Removal or change of dangerous goods safety marks

If conditions that required the display of dangerous goods safety marks change, the person responsible for the means of containment must determine, as a result of new conditions, whether dangerous goods safety marks must be changed or removed.

If a person neutralizes the contents of the means of containment or unloads, unpacks, cleans, or purges the means of containment, then that person must cover or remove the dangerous goods safety mark when the danger indicated by the mark is no longer present in the means of containment.

If the DANGER placard is permitted to be displayed on a large means of containment, then that placard, in place of any other placard, may continue to be displayed until the large means of containment no longer contains any of the dangerous goods identified by that placard.

Misleading safety marks

It is against the law to display misleading dangerous goods safety marks. If a hazard is not present, no placards can be displayed. For example, it’s misleading to display corrosive placards when no dangerous goods are being transported at the time.

It’s also misleading if the incorrect safety mark is displayed; for example, if corrosive placards are displayed on a means of transport when the hazard is actually a flammable liquid.

Finally, it’s misleading to display logos, words, or symbols that resemble or could be confused with dangerous goods marks.

• Labeling requirements for dangerous goods cover size and orientation, as well as the placement of labels on a small means of containment.

A label is a dangerous goods safety mark used to identify the hazard associated with a dangerous good. It is displayed on a small means of containment and communicates the nature of the danger.

Part 4, “Dangerous Goods Safety Marks,” of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations contains specific information on labels and labeling requirements, including label size and orientation, and placement on a small means of containment.

Labels on a small means of containment

One label must be displayed on a small means of containment for the primary hazard class and, if required, one for each subsidiary hazard class of dangerous goods in transport.

Where must labels be placed?

When a label is required, it 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;
• On or near the shoulder of a cylinder containing dangerous goods; or
• 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.

However, a label with sides that are reduced to 30 mm in length may be displayed on a tag securely attached to a small means of containment (this does not apply to radioactive materials).

Label specifications

Labels must be displayed square-on-point.

Each side of a label must be at least 100 mm in length with a line running 5 mm inside the edge.

Except for dangerous goods included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials, if this size label, together with the shipping name, technical name, and UN number, cannot be displayed because the small means of containment has an irregular shape or size, each side of the label may be reduced in length by the same amount to the point where the label, together with the shipping name, technical name, and UN number, will fit.

The label cannot be reduced to less than 30 mm per side and must be reduced proportionally.

The following exceptions apply to labeling:

• A label is not required to be displayed on a small means of containment that is inside another small means of containment if the other small means of containment has a label displayed on it and is not opened during loading or unloading or while the dangerous goods are in transport;
• The oxidizing gas label must be displayed on a small means of containment for the following dangerous goods:
  • UN1072, OXYGEN, COMPRESSED,
  • UN1073, OXYGEN, REFRIGERATED LIQUID,
  • UN3156, COMPRESSED GAS, OXIDIZING, N.O.S., and
  • UN3157, LIQUEFIED GAS, OXIDIZING, N.O.S.;
• The Class 9, lithium battery label, illustrated in the Part 4 appendix, must be displayed on a small means of containment for the following dangerous goods:
  • UN3090, LITHIUM METAL BATTERIES,
  • UN3091, LITHIUM METAL BATTERIES CONTAINED IN EQUIPMENT or LITHIUM METAL BATTERIES PACKED WITH EQUIPMENT,
  • UN3480, LITHIUM ION BATTERIES, and
  • UN3481, LITHIUM ION BATTERIES CONTAINED IN EQUIPMENT or LITHIUM ION BATTERIES PACKED WITH EQUIPMENT;
• If the dangerous goods are included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials, two labels must be displayed on the small means of containment for the primary class; and
• If the dangerous goods are included in Class 2, Gases, and are contained in a combination of cylinders each with a capacity greater than 225 L that form a single unit from being interconnected through a piping arrangement, and are permanently mounted on a structural frame for transport, and have a combined capacity exceeding 450 L, the combination of cylinders may be placarded as one large means of containment.

For the subsidiary class of Class 1, the label to be displayed is the label for Class 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3.

Despite the labeling requirements, a label need not be displayed on a small means of containment that holds a radioactive material if the shipping name and UN number of the radioactive material are displayed on the small means of containment and:

• The radioactive material is contained in an exposure device, as defined in the Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Regulations, and the small means of containment is marked in accordance with paragraph 16(5)(a) of the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations; or
• The radioactive material is LSA-I material, as defined in Subsection 1(1) of the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations, and the small means of containment is marked in accordance with paragraph 16(5)(c) of the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations.

Other safety marks, like the shipping name and UN number of the dangerous good, are required on small means of containment.

Shipping name and technical name on a small means of containment or on a tag

If dangerous goods in transport are in a small means of containment on which a primary class label for the dangerous goods must be displayed, the shipping name of the dangerous goods must be displayed next to the primary class label.

When dangerous goods in transport are subject to and are in a small means of containment on which the shipping name is displayed, the technical name of at least one of the most dangerous substances that predominantly contributes to the hazard or hazards posed by the dangerous goods must be displayed, in parentheses, following the shipping name.

If the primary class label for dangerous goods in transport is displayed on a tag, the shipping name and technical name (if required) of the dangerous goods must also be displayed on the tag.

UN numbers on a small means of containment or on a tag

If dangerous goods in transport are in a small means of containment on which the primary class label for the dangerous goods is displayed, the UN number for the dangerous goods must be displayed on or next to the primary class label.

If the primary class label for dangerous goods in transport is displayed on a tag, the UN number must also be displayed on the tag on or next to the primary class label.

Safety marks on a consolidation bin

If a label must be displayed on a small means of containment that is inside a consolidation bin, an indication of each class of dangerous goods contained in the consolidation bin must be clearly and legibly marked on a tag or fixed display device attached to the bin.

• For a large means of containment, a placard, or a placard and UN number, must be displayed on each side and each end.

Dangerous goods safety marks are required to be displayed on a means of containment containing dangerous goods in transport, according to Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations. These marks include labels, placards, orange panels, signs, marine pollutant marks, numbers, letters, abbreviations, and words used to identify dangerous goods and show the nature of the danger they pose.

The marks quickly identify dangerous goods in an emergency situation such as an accident or accidental release of dangerous goods from a means of containment.

Dangerous goods safety marks are also an awareness tool for people involved in transportation, including truck drivers, train crews, loading dock workers, reception personnel at a lab or hospital, and aircraft loading personnel.

Placarding exemption for 500 kg or less gross mass of dangerous goods

A placard is not required on a road vehicle or railway vehicle if the dangerous goods in or on that vehicle have a gross mass less than or equal to 500 kg.

The placarding exemption cannot be used for dangerous goods:

• Requiring an Emergency Response Assistance Plan (ERAP), or
• Requiring the display of subsidiary class placards.

The exemption also cannot be used for certain dangerous goods in the following classes:

• Class 1, Explosives (with some exceptions, see 4.16.1(2)(c);
• Class 2.1, Flammable Gases, if the road vehicle or railway vehicle is to be transported by vessel;
• Class 2.3, Toxic Gases;
• Class 4.3, Water-reactive Substances;
• Class 5.2, Organic Peroxides, Type B, liquid or solid, that require a control or emergency temperature;
• Class 6.1, Toxic Substances, that are subject to special provision 23; or
• Class 7, Radioactive Materials, that require a Category III – Yellow label.

Placards and UN numbers on a large means of containment A placard, or a placard and UN number, must be displayed on each side and each end of a large means of containment.

There are some exceptions, however:

Where must placards be placed?

The primary class placard for each of the dangerous goods contained in a large means of containment, other than a vessel or aircraft, must be displayed on each side and each end of the large means of containment.

If two or more dangerous goods have different UN numbers but are identified by the same placard or placards, the placard or placards are required to be displayed only once on each side and each end of a large means of containment.

The following applies to visibility of placards and UN numbers on large means of containment:

Placard specifications

Each side of a placard must be at least 250 mm in length and, except for the DANGER placard, have a line running 12.5 mm inside the edge.

However, except for dangerous goods included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials, if that size placard cannot be displayed because of the irregular shape or size of the large means of containment, each side of the placard may be reduced in length by the same amount to the point where the placard will fit that large means of containment, but must not be reduced to less than 100 mm.

If the size of a label or placard is reduced, every symbol, letter, and number required on that label or placard must be reduced proportionally.

If a large means of containment contains dangerous goods included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials, and a Class 7 placard is required to be displayed in accordance with Part 4, the means of containment must have displayed on it the Class 7 placard required or the appropriate optional Class 7 placard illustrated in the appendix to Part 4.

Compartmentalized large means of containment

If dangerous goods of different primary classes are transported in different compartments of a compartmentalized large means of containment:

• The primary class placard and UN number for dangerous goods in each compartment must be displayed on each side of that compartment; and
• Each placard and UN number displayed must be displayed on each end of the compartmentalized large means of containment, but each specific placard need only be displayed once on each end.

If all compartments in a compartmentalized large means of containment contain dangerous goods included in the same primary class:

• The primary class placard must be displayed on each side and each end of the compartmentalized large means of containment; and

• The UN number of the dangerous goods in a compartment must be displayed on each side of that compartment and each end of the compartmentalized large means of containment, except that, if all dangerous goods are included in Class 3, Flammable Liquids, only the UN number of the dangerous goods with the lowest flash point is required to be displayed on each side and each end of the compartmentalized large means of containment.

If a compartmentalized large means of containment contains UN3475, ETHANOL AND GASOLINE MIXTURE, the number “3475” must be displayed, in addition to the UN number — without the prefix “UN” — of the dangerous goods with the lowest flash point, on each side and each end of the compartmentalized large means of containment.

• For subsidiary class placards to be displayed on a large means of containment, several criteria must be met.
• Other safety marking requirements include limited quantity and lithium battery displays.

According to Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations, subsidiary class placards must be displayed next to the primary class placard for dangerous goods, on each side and each end of a large means of containment if the dangerous goods require an Emergency Response Assistance Plan (ERAP) and:

• Have a subsidiary class of Class 1, Explosives, in which case the placard is Class 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3;
• Have a subsidiary class of Class 4.3, Water-reactive Substances, in which case the placard is Class 4.3;
• Have a subsidiary class of Class 6.1, Toxic Substances, and are included in Packing Group I due to inhalation toxicity, in which case the placard is Class 6.1; or
• Have a subsidiary class of Class 8, Corrosives, and are UN2977, RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE, FISSILE, or UN2978, RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE, non-fissile or fissile-excepted, in which case the placard is Class 8.

DANGER placard

Except as provided, a DANGER placard is permitted to be displayed on a large means of containment instead of any other placard if:

• The large means of containment holds two or more dangerous goods that require different placards, and
• The dangerous goods loaded into the large means of containment are held in two or more small means of containment.

Exceptions for using the DANGER placard

The DANGER placard cannot be displayed on a large means of containment for:

• Dangerous goods that have a gross mass greater than 1,000 kg, are included in the same class, and are offered for transport by one consignor;
• Dangerous goods that require an ERAP;
• Class 1, Explosives;
• Class 2.3, Toxic Gases;
• Class 4.3, Water-reactive Substances;
• Class 5.2, Organic Peroxides, Type B, liquid or solid, that require a control or emergency temperature;
• Class 6.1, Toxic Substances, that are subject to special provision 23; and
• Class 7, Radioactive Materials, that require a Category III — Yellow label.

If a road vehicle or railway vehicle to be transported by vessel contains a flammable gas, the flammable gas placard must be displayed on that vehicle.

Additional markings and signs

UN numbers must be displayed on small means of containment and large means of containment as identified in Labels and Placards.

There are other safety mark requirements that may apply in specific instances.

Limited quantity mark

Part 3 (“Documentation”), Part 4 (“Dangerous Goods Safety Marks”), Part 5 (“Means of Containment”), Part 6 (“Training”), Part 7 (“Emergency Response Assistance Plan”), and Part 8 (“Reporting Requirements”) do not apply to handling, offering for transport, or transporting of limited quantities of dangerous goods on a road vehicle, railway vehicle, or vessel if each means of containment is legibly and durably marked on one side, other than a side on which it is intended to rest or to be stacked during transport.

If a limited quantity of dangerous goods is in a means of containment that is inside another means of containment, the inner means of containment is not required to be marked if:

• The gross mass of the outer means of containment is less than or equal to 30 kg;
• The outer means of containment is not intended to be opened during transport; and
• The outer means of containment is legibly and visibly marked, on a contrasting background, with the limited quantity mark.

If a limited quantity of dangerous goods is in a means of containment that is inside an overpack, the following information must be displayed on the overpack unless the marks on the small means of containment are visible through the overpack:

• The word “Overpack” or “Suremballage;” and
• The limited quantity mark, legibly and visibly marked on a contrasting background.

The mark must be square-on-point, and the line forming the square-on-point must be at least 2 mm wide. The top and bottom portions must be black, and the central portion must be white or a contrasting color. Each side of the mark must be at least 100 mm long. The letter “Y” may be displayed in the center of the mark if the limited quantity complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Technical Instructions. If the size of the means of containment so requires, the length of each side may be reduced to not less than 50 mm, provided that the mark remains clearly visible.

Lithium battery mark

For the purposes of special provision 34, the lithium battery mark must indicate:

• “UN3090” for lithium metal cells or batteries;
• “UN3480” for lithium ion cells or batteries; and
• “UN3091” or “UN3481,” as appropriate, for lithium cells or batteries contained in, or packed with, equipment.

If a means of containment carries lithium cells or batteries assigned to different UN numbers, all applicable UN numbers must be indicated on one or more marks.

The mark must be at least 120 mm wide by 110 mm high, and the hatching must be at least 5 mm wide. However, dimensions of the mark may be reduced for a means of containment that is an irregular shape or size if the mark is at least 105 mm wide by 74 mm high and every symbol, letter, and number required on the mark is reduced proportionally.

• Infectious substances, inhalation hazards, marine pollutants, and fumigants are among the other goods requiring special markings.
• Overpacks and radioactive materials must display certain labels or placards.

Category B infectious substances, UN3373

According to Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations, the Category B mark must be displayed, instead of the Class 6.2, Infectious Substances label, on a small means of containment containing infectious substances included in UN3373, BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCE, CATEGORY B.

Toxic – inhalation hazard

A person must not import, offer for transport, handle, or transport dangerous goods included in Class 6.1, Toxic Substances unless the words “inhalation hazard” or “dangereux par inhalation” are displayed:

Marine pollutant mark

In addition to requirements for placards and UN numbers, the marine pollutant mark must be displayed in the following locations for dangerous goods that are marine pollutants in transport by vessel:

• On a small means of containment, next to the primary class label for dangerous goods or, if there is a subsidiary class label, next to the subsidiary class label; and
• On each side and each end of a large means of containment next to the placard required to be displayed for dangerous goods.

The marine pollutant mark is not required to be displayed when marine pollutants are:

• On board a road vehicle or railway vehicle on a ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) ship; or
• Contained in:
  • A small means of containment and in a quantity less than or equal to 5 L for a liquid marine pollutant or 5 kg for a solid marine pollutant; or
  • A large means of containment and:
    • In a quantity less than or equal to 500 kg;
    • Transported by vessel on a domestic voyage; and
    • The large means of containment does not contain Class 1, Explosives, other than explosives included in Class 1.4, Class 5.2, Organic Peroxides, Class 6.1, Toxic Substances, or Class 7, Radioactive Materials.

The placard and UN number are not required to be displayed for substances identified as marine pollutants when display of the marine pollutant mark is not required.

Elevated temperature sign

In addition to requirements for placards and UN numbers, the elevated temperature sign must be displayed for dangerous goods contained in a large means of containment and offered for transport or transported at a temperature greater than or equal to:

• 100 degrees C if dangerous goods are in a liquid state, and
• 240 degrees C if dangerous goods are in a solid state.

The elevated temperature sign must be displayed on each side and each end of the large means of containment next to each primary class placard for dangerous goods or, if there is a subsidiary class placard, next to the subsidiary class placard.

Fumigation sign

If fumigation of a large means of containment is done using dangerous goods, the fumigation sign must be displayed at or next to each entryway through which a person can enter the large means of containment. The consignor must ensure that the fumigation sign is displayed by the person in charge of the fumigation and that the sign displays the name of the fumigant, date and time the fumigant was applied, and date of ventilation.

The fumigation sign must continue to be displayed on a large means of containment that has been fumigated until:

• The large means of containment has been ventilated to remove harmful concentrations of the fumigant, and
• The dangerous goods in the large means of containment during fumigation have been unloaded.

Overpacks

Safety marks on an overpack

If a safety mark is required to be displayed on a small means of containment and the small means of containment is inside an overpack, the person who prepares the overpack must display:

• The word “Overpack” or “Suremballage” in letters at least 12 mm high on a contrasting background, on at least one side of the overpack;
• The information required by Subsection (3) on one side of the overpack, if its capacity is less than 1.8 cubic meters (64 cubic feet); and
• The information required by Subsection (3) on two opposite sides of the overpack, if its capacity is greater than or equal to 1.8 cubic meters (64 cubic feet).

This does not apply if a safety mark for each class of dangerous goods inside the overpack is visible through the overpack.

The following information must be displayed on the overpack:

• The primary class label and each subsidiary class label for each of the dangerous goods contained in the overpack, except that only one label is required for dangerous goods included in the same class; and
• The shipping name and UN number of the dangerous goods.

If dangerous goods included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials, are transported in an overpack and a label is required to be displayed, the overpack must be prepared in accordance with Section 16(4) of the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations.

Radioactive placards and labels

For dangerous goods included in Class 7, Radioactive Material, the label or placard required to be displayed must be determined in accordance with the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations.

For dangerous goods included in Class 7, Radioactive Material, the following information must be determined in accordance with the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations, and must be displayed on the primary class label for dangerous goods:

• The name or symbol of the radionuclide, except that if there is a mixture of radionuclides, the name or symbol of the most restrictive of the radionuclides in the mixture; and
• The activity and transport index of the dangerous goods.