UN Manual of Tests and Criteria Seventh revised edition Amd 1
Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods – Manual of Tests and Criteria
Published: June 2019
The “Manual of Tests and Criteria” contains criteria, test methods and procedures to be used for the classification of dangerous goods according to the provisions of the “United Nations Recommendations on the
Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations”, as well as of chemicals presenting physical hazards according to the “Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)”.
It therefore also supplements national or international regulations which are derived from the Model Regulations or the GHS.
Originally developed by the Economic and Social Council’s Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, which adopted a first version in 1984, the Manual of Tests and Criteria has been regularly updated and amended. Currently, the updating is done under the auspices of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of
Chemicals, which replaced the original committee in 2001.
At its ninth session (7 December 2018), the Committee adopted a set of amendments to the sixth revised edition of the Manual as amended by Amendment 1. These amendments, include, inter alia:
– A full review of the text of the Manual to facilitate its use in the context of the GHS;
– A new test under test series 8, to determine the sensitiveness of a candidate ammonium nitrate emulsion or suspension or gel, intermediate for blasting explosive, to the effect of intense localised thermal ignition under high confinement (sub-section 18.8);
– New provisions addressing classification of polymerizing substances for transport;
– Stability tests for nitrocellulose mixtures (new Appendix 10); and
– A compilation of classification results on industrial nitrocellulose in accordance with Chapter 2.17 of the GHS which can be used for the classification of industrial nitrocellulose based products (new Appendix 11).
In addition, noting that the work to facilitate the use of the Manual in the context of the GHS had been completed, the Committee considered that the reference to the “Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods” in the title of the Manual was no longer appropriate, and decided that from now on, the Manual should be entitled “Manual of Tests and Criteria”.
The seventh revised edition takes account of these amendments, which were circulated as document ST/SG/AC.10/46/Add.2.