I85PREP
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IMDG Dangerous Goods Awareness study materials
IMDG Dangerous Goods Awareness study resources

IMDG Dangerous Goods Awareness: Emergency response and incident reporting

IMDG Dangerous Goods Awareness · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Emergency response and incident reporting

What this domain tests

This domain asks where to find the response procedure for a specific substance, what the fire and spill schedules mean, and what must be reported, to whom, and with what content after an incident.

Emergency response sources

  • The EmS Guide, in the Supplement, gives a fire schedule and a spill schedule for every entry, shown in the Dangerous Goods List. General schedules such as F-A and S-A cover many substances.
  • The Medical First Aid Guide (MFAG) covers casualty treatment and is not a firefighting manual.
  • The ship's emergency plan, muster list and the master's instructions govern the practical response: raise the alarm, isolate the area, use the correct extinguishing medium, wear the protective equipment the schedule specifies, prevent the goods from entering the sea or drains.

Incident reporting

  • The Supplement sets out the reporting procedure for incidents involving dangerous goods. The master reports to the nearest coastal State and the port State, and to the company.
  • A report typically states the ship's name, call sign and position, the nature of the incident, the dangerous goods involved with UN numbers, proper shipping names, classes and quantities, injuries, weather and sea state, and any assistance required.
  • Marine pollutants also trigger the harmful substances reporting duty under MARPOL Annex III.
  • Class 7 incidents carry additional notification duties to the consignor and competent authority.

Worked example

A drum of class 8 liquid leaks on deck at sea. Reasoning: look up the EmS spill schedule in the DGL, follow it for protective equipment and containment, notify the master, then send an incident report giving position, UN number and class, quantity lost, whether the substance is a marine pollutant and whether overboard pollution is likely. Record the event; if it is a marine pollutant, the MARPOL Annex III report follows.

Traps

  • Choosing a response from the hazard label alone.
  • Using the MFAG to fight a fire.
  • Reporting only to the company and not to the coastal State.