Bergen quay: acid next to aerosols
At a Bergen quay, a loader is building a trailer load for Ålesund. The cargo is 18 pallets of UN 1950 AEROSOLS, 2.1, each pallet 600 kg, and 6 pallets of UN 1789 HYDROCHLORIC ACID, 8, PG II, each pallet holding four 25-litre jerricans. While checking the acid, the loader finds that one bottom jerrican is dented and weeping; the pallet board is wet and the smell is sharp. The loader wants to put the acid pallets on top of the aerosols to save floor space, and the forklift has no spill kit. The driver has a valid ADR certificate and the transport document is complete. The terminal is busy and the loader says the dent is 'only cosmetic'.
1. Should loading continue? Identify the immediate hazards and the first actions.
Read the worked answer
Stop the loading operation. A dented, weeping jerrican is a damaged package, not a cosmetic issue. ADR loading rules require packages to be loaded so that they cannot be damaged and so that leakage is prevented; a leaking corrosive package must not be shipped.
Hazards
- Hydrochloric acid is corrosive to skin and eyes and gives off irritating acid mist.
- It reacts with many metals, including the steel or aluminium of aerosol cans, producing hydrogen gas. A leak above or beside aerosols can therefore create a flammable, potentially explosive atmosphere as well as corroding containers.
- The wet pallet board shows the leak has already spread.
First actions
- Isolate the pallet and keep people away.
- Put on suitable chemical gloves and eye/face protection; use an acid spill kit or inert absorbent.
- Prevent the spill from reaching drains or the quay edge.
- Check the other jerricans on the pallet for damage.
- Notify the terminal safety officer. Call 110 if the leak cannot be contained or if anyone is exposed.
- Do not load the damaged jerrican. It must be overpacked or transferred only by trained personnel using compatible equipment.
2. Assume the damaged jerrican is removed and the remaining acid and aerosols are sound. May they travel together, and what loading precautions apply?
Read the worked answer
ADR 7.5.2 does not impose a general mixed-loading prohibition between Class 8 and Class 2.1 packages, so the combination is not automatically forbidden. The decisive issues are package integrity, stowage and leakage control.
Precautions:
- Do not stack acid pallets directly above aerosols. A future leak would run onto the aerosol containers, corrode them and create a gas hazard.
- Use a spill tray or barrier under the acid pallets so any seepage is contained.
- Separate acid from aerosols by distance or a physical barrier where practicable.
- Secure both loads against shifting; heavy acid pallets should not crush aerosol cartons.
- Confirm labels and the transport document cover both UN numbers, and that the instructions in writing cover acid and flammable aerosols.
- Before departure, check that no other package is wet or damaged.
The loader's space-saving idea is unacceptable because it turns a small leak into a potentially much larger incident.