Transcript
When there’s an incident involving the transportation of dangerous goods, the first thing you need to keep yourself and the public safe is information.
That’s why there’s the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG).
For more than three decades, the ERG has helped first responders identify dangerous goods and their hazards so they can make informed safety decisions when arriving at the scene of an incident.
Every four years, officials in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Argentina revise the guide to keep it up to date with the latest dangerous goods research and transportation technologies, and to make it even easier to use.
Based on the feedback from first responders, we’ve made a number of enhancements to the 2016 edition.
Many sections have been expanded or revised — including new details on markings, labels, placards, railcars and trailers.
New to the 2016 guidebook is a table of contents, making it easier to find the information you need.
We’ve also added a page for recording local emergency response phone numbers for quick reference and information on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, or GHS, and the symbols it uses to convey a material’s hazards.
The yellow and blue lists have been updated to include all dangerous goods in the 19th revised edition of the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods.
New methods of transporting gases prompted the addition of two new guides on adsorbed gases and many guides now include a Canadian flag, indicating to Canadian responders that an Emergency Response Assistance Plan may be required.
And in the green section, we’ve updated the initial isolation and protective action distances based on new toxicity data and reactivity research and added a table to help estimate wind speed from environmental clues.
But perhaps the most important addition is the all-new flowchart at the start of the guide, which walks you through every single step of the decision-making process.
To respond quickly and safely to an incident involving dangerous goods, you need the right information at your fingertips.
For more information on how to get your copy of the 2016 Emergency Response Guidebook, visit CANUTEC’s website today at tc.gc.ca/canutec.
A mobile app is also available for Apple and Android devices.
