High risk merchandise, are all solutions, chemical substances, mixtures or articles that may cause damage to people, materials, means of transportation and/or the environment and that are established or included in the IMDG Code and other International Regulations and that are applied to all territories for where it transits.

The attention that high risk merchandise requires, especially regarding its loading and unloading, disposition, stowage, separation, labeling, packing and boxing, is without a doubt one of the most important tasks in the safety chain. Is for this reason that everybody involved in this chain must have the aptitudes and knowledge necessary to develop and perform all the pertinent proceedings before the right authorities.

Based on the above, there are established norms and general dispositions for this kind of products, which are required and applicable in all ports and airports and to all airplanes and ships.

According to the established in the IMDG Code and in the High Risk Merchandise Regulation of IATA, the high risk merchandises are divided according to the following classification:

  Class I Explosives

• Division 1.1 Explosives with massive explosion risk.
• Division 1.2 Explosives with projection risk.
• Division 1.3 Explosives with high risk of fire.
• Division 1.4 Explosives that do not represent any considerable risk.
• Division 1.5 Highly sensitive explosives that represent a risk of a massive explosion.
• Division 1.6 Highly insensitive explosives that do not represent a risk of a massive explosion.

  Class II Gases

• Division 2.1 Flammable Gas
• Division 2.2 Non flammable, non toxic gas
• Division 2.3 Toxic Gas

  Class III Flammable Liquids
  Class IV Solid flammables;

Spontaneously combustible materials; substances that deliver flammable gases when in contact with water.

• Division 4.1 Flammable solids
• Division 4.2 Substances that may experiment an spontaneous combustion
• Division 4.3 Substances that deliver flammable gases when in contact with water.

  Class V Comburent Substances and organic peroxides

• Division 5.1 Comburent substances (oxidants)
• Division 5.2 Organic peroxides

  Class VI Toxic and Infectious substances

• Division 6.1 Toxic substances
• Division 6.2 Infectious substances

  Class VII Radioactive material
  Class VIII Corrosive substances
  Class IX Various high risk substances

Except otherwise specified in the Regulations, a “Declaration of the Forwarder” and the Bill of lading of the high risk merchandise must be emitted.

The forwarder is responsible to fill out the form established as “Declaration of the Forwarder of Dangerous Merchandises” for all and each one of the forwarding that contain dangerous merchandises classified as such, as follows:

• Utilize the correct form and in a correct manner
  • Complete the form in an exact and legible manner
  • Make sure that the form is signed when the forwarding is presented to the carrier to be hauled and that the forwarding had been prepared following the current regulations.