The basic description for a hazardous material must include
these items of information, taken from the HMT. Later, we'll
talk more about the basic description, and the order the
information goes in. The four items that make up the basic
description include the proper shipping name, the hazard class
or division number, the identification number, and the packing
group. The basic description is important in many function
specific tasks, including but not limited to the preparation of
shipping papers. Select each of these buttons to learn more
about the items that compose the basic description.
The proper shipping name entry is taken from the material
name prescribed in Column 2 of the Table. The technical name
may be entered in parentheses between the proper shipping
name and the hazard class or following the basic description
for those materials with a ‘G’ in Column 1.
- The hazard class or division number entry for each material is
taken from the information in Column 3 of the Table. Except
for combustible liquids, the subsidiary hazard class or
subsidiary division number must be entered in parentheses
immediately following the primary hazard class or division
number.
- The identification number is taken from Column 4 of the Table.
- The packing group is displayed in Roman numerals, as
designated for the hazardous material in Column 5 of the
Table. The packing group may be preceded by the letters
“PG”.
