The Central Motor Vehicles Rules,1989
Section 137. Class labels
In respect of the dangerous or hazardous goods specified in column (2) of the Table below, the labels specified in the corresponding entry in column (3) shall be the class labels, namely:
TABLE I
Class of Labels
UN Class
No.
Classification of goods Class label (1) (2) (3)
1. Explosives
Symbol (exploding bomb) : BlackBackground : Orange
2. Gases, compressed, liquefied, dissolved under pressure or deeply refrigerated.
2.1 Non-flammable gases
Symbol (gas cylinder) : Black or WhiteBackground : Green
2.2 Inflammable gases
Symbol (Flame) : Black or WhiteBackground : Red
2.3 Poison (toxic) gases
Symbol (skull and crossbones) : Black Background : White
3. Inflammable Liquids
Symbol (flame) : Black or WhiteBackground : Red
4. Inflammable solids, substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, on contact with water, emit inflammable gases.
4.1 Inflammable solids
4. Inflammable solids, substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, on contact with water, emit inflammable gases.
4.1 Inflammable solids
Symbol (flame) : Black or WhiteBackground : Red
4.2 Substances liable to spontaneous combustion
Symbol (flame) : Black Background : Upper half white
4.3 Substances which, on contact with water, emit inflammable gases
Symbol (flame) : Black or WhiteBackground : Blue
5. Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides.
5.1 Oxidizing substances
Symbol (flame over circle) : Black Background : Yellow
5.2 Organic peroxides
Symbol (flame over circle) : Black Background : Yellow
6. Poisonous (toxic) substances and infectious substances.
6.1 Poisonous (toxic) substances
Symbol (skull and crossbones) : Black Background : White
6.2 Harmful substances
The bottom half of the label should bear the inscription: Harmful: Stow away from food-stuffs Symbol (St. Andrews cross over an ear of wheat):
Background : White
6.3 Infectious substances
The bottom half of the label should bear: Infectious substances (optional) and the inscription “In the case of damage or leakage immediately notify Public Health Authority (optional)Symbol (three crescents superimposed on a circle) and inscription: Black
Background : White
7. Radioactive substances
Symbol ” 3 segments of a circle ” a number and lettering of the Class label) shall be black on a white background and the parallel lines bordering the Class label shall be black and shall be 5mm thick
8. Corrosives
Symbol (liquids spilling from two glass vessels and attaching a hand and a metal): Black Background: Upper half white and Lower half black with white border
1TABLE II
Indicative criteria
(A) Explosives:
An explosive means a solid or liquid or pyrotechnic substance (or a mixture of substances) or an article,
(i) which is in itself capable by chemical reaction of production of gas at such a temperature and as such a speed as to cause damage to the surroundings;
(ii) which is designed to produce an effect, by heat, light, sound, gas or smoke or a combination of these, of non-detonative self-sustaining exothermic chemical reaction.
(B) Gas:
(1) A gas is a substance which
(i) at 50°C has a vapour pressure greater than 300 kPa; or
(ii) is completely gaseous at 20°C at a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa.
(2) Substances of gas are assigned to one of three following divisions based on the primary hazard of the gas during transport;
(a) Flammable gases:
Gases which at 20°C and a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa,
(i) are igni table when a mixture of 13 per cent or less by volume with air; or
(ii) have a flammable range with air of at least 12 percentage points regardless of the lower flammable limit. Flammability shall be determined by tests or by calculation in accordance with methods adopted by International Standards Organization [ISO: 10156:1996] or by Bureau of Indian Standards [IS: 1446-1985 ];
(b) Non-flammable, non-toxic gases:
Gases which are transported a pressure not less than 280 kPa at 20°C, or as refrigerated liquids and which,
(i) are asphyxiant-gases which dilute or replace the oxygen normally in the atmosphere;
(ii) are oxidizing-gases which may, generally by providing oxygen, cause or contribute to the combustion of other material more than air does; or {Hi) do not come under the other divisions;
(c) Toxic gases:
Gases which are known to be so toxic or corrosive to humans as to pose a hazard to health.
Note. Gases meeting the above criteria owing to their corrosivity are classified as toxic with a subsidiary corrosive risk. (C) Flammable chemicals:
(i) Flammable gases. Gases which at 20°C and at standard pressure of 101.3 kPa are:
(a) igni table when a mixture of 13 per cent or less by volume with air, or (b) have a flammable range with air of at least 12 percentage points regardless of the lower flammable limits.
Note. The flammability shall be determined by tests or by calculation in accordance with methods adopted by International Standards Organization (ISO: 10156: 1996) or by Bureau of Indian Standards (IS: 1446-1985).
(ii) Extremely flammable liquids. Chemicals which have flash point lower than or equal to 23°C and boiling point
less than 35°C.
(iii) Very highly flammable liquids. Chemicals which have a flash point lower than or equal to 23°C and initial boiling point higher than 35°C.
(iv) Highly flammable liquids. Chemicals with a flash point lower than or equal to 60°C but higher than 23°C.
(v) Flammable liquids. Chemicals which have a flash point higher than 60°C but lower than 90°C. (D) Reactive Substances:
Reactive substances are those substances which start reacting chemically with any other material and reducing gases through their own decomposition. Such substances are Inorganic Alkalies (for example NaoH, Iodine and the like) and Acids (for example H2S04, HN03, HCL and the like)
(vi) Oxidizing Substances:
(a) Oxidizing substances:
Substances which, while in themselves not necessarily combustible, may generally by yielding oxygen, cause or contribute to the combustion of other material. Such substances may be contained in an article;
(b) Organic peroxides:
Organic substances which contain the bivalent-0-0- structure and may be considered derivative of hydrogen peroxide, where one or both of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by organic radials. Organic peroxides are thermally unstable substances which may undergo exothermic self-accelerating decomposition. In addition, they may have one or more of the following properties, (i) be liable to explosive decomposition; (ii) burn rapidly;
(iii) be sensitive to impact or friction; (iv) react dangerously with other substances; (v) cause damage to the eyes. (F) Toxic:
Toxic chemicals: Chemical having the following values of acute toxicity and which owing to their physical and chemical properties, are capable of producing major accident hazards:
________________________________________________________
Sl.
No. Toxicity Oral
toxicity
(mg/kg) Dermal toxicity (mg/kg) Inhalation toxicity (mg/I)
________________________________________________________
1 Extremely toxic >5 <40 <0.5
________________________________________________________
2 Highly toxic >5-50 >40-200 <05-2.0
________________________________________________________
3 Toxic >50-200 >200-1000 >2-10
________________________________________________________
1 LD50 oral in rats
2 LD50 coetaneous in rats or rabbits
3. LC50 by inhalation (four hours) in rats.
(G) Radioactive:
Radioactive materials mean any material containing radionuclide where both the activity concentration and the total activity in the consignment exceed the values specified, depending on the type of material by the Atomic Energy Commission of India.
(H) Corrosive:
Corrosive substances are substances which by chemical action will cause severe damage when in contact with living tissue or in the case of leakage will materially damage or even destroy other goods or the means of transport. They may also cause other hazards.
TABLE III
List of Hazardous Goods
E Explosive, F Flammable, O Oxidising, R Reactive, C Corrosive, Ra Radioactive, T Toxic, G Gas.
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1. Substituted by G.S.R. 349(E), dated 1-6-2005, for Table H and Table HI (w.e.f. 1-6-2005).
