The global economy relies on the continual transportation of goods around the world, and some of these products are potentially dangerous.
In order to help ensure that the items and substances get to their intended destinations without causing harm to people, property and the environment, it is crucial that they are packaged in a suitable manner. The greater the risk associated with certain goods, the more care must be taken over the issue of packaging materials.
Because of the international nature of trade and transport these days, an integrated cross-border regulatory system is required.
About this issue, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) says on its website: “With different regulations in every country and for different modes of transport, international trade in chemicals and dangerous products would be seriously impeded, if not made impossible and unsafe.”
It is not only transport regulations that need to be taken into account. The UNECE remarked: “Dangerous goods are also subject to other kinds of regulations, e.g. work safety regulations, consumer protection regulations, storage regulations [and] environment protection regulations.”
To help ensure consistency between all of these regulatory systems, the UN has developed mechanisms for harmonisation. Meanwhile, the UNECE administers regional agreements to help ensure the effective implementation of these mechanisms as far as the transport of hazardous goods by road, rail and inland waterways is concerned.
Thankfully for organisations that need to source suitable dangerous goods packaging, this process is now easier than ever before. Whatever their specifications, firms should not struggle to find what they need.
