Dangerous goods are substances that pose immediate dangers to people, property or the environment, due to their chemical makeup or properties.

These hazards could include explosions, fires, poisoning or corrosive reactions.

The criteria used to determine whether substances are classified as dangerous goods are contained in the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG Code).

The ADG Code is based on the United Nations (UN) Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods.

This means that it has adopted the UN recommendations for transportation via road or rail, including the use of standardised UN numbers and symbols on placarding signs.

However, it also contains a few extra provisions that relate specifically to Australian conditions.

The link below will take you to the main UN Hazard Classes and pictograms used to classify dangerous goods.

UN Hazard Classes

Hazardous and dangerous

There are many products that are classified as both hazardous substances and dangerous goods.

One example is solvent-based contact adhesives, which can cause flash fires or explosions if exposed to a flame or other ignition source.

Another is LP gas, which can ignite in the air with a concentration of as little as 2%.

Some tradespeople have set off explosions simply by lighting a cigarette near a leaking LPG cylinder that was sitting in the back of their van.