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Embracing The Prep School Year

It is not unusual to be worried when your child heads off to school for their first year in Prep. I'm an older mum with only one child, so every experience my daughter has is a new experience for me too. She starts Prep this year, and I am both nervous and excited for her. I want to use this blog to help other mums whose children are either beginning Prep this year or in the coming years ahead. I will share tips for first day nerves, getting into the grove of schooling, and how to tackle relations with other children of this age group. It is going to be an exciting year of growth for us both.

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Understanding the Various Categories of Dangerous Goods

by Marcia Wagner

Today, there are many forms of transport. Road, rail, air and waterways provide the means people need to move from one place to another, together with any luggage that they would like to carry. Notably, the type of luggage varies in terms of the risk it poses to the people using that means of transport. This is where dangerous goods come. These are goods that expose people to significant danger when using certain means of transport. They are classified differently according to the kind of danger they pose. If you have just landed a job in a luggage handling facility, here are some the various categories of dangerous goods you will be handling:

Explosives

Explosives are common dangerous goods you might be dealing with on regular basis. Essentially, these are materials that can detonate or conflagrate hastily as a result of chemical reactions. Explosive materials come in many forms. Some of them have a mass explosion risk, and they only need to mix with another chemical for them to blow up. On the other hand, some have a projection hazard. The explosion may be minor but the substance gives off lots of radiant heat.

Flammable Liquids

Flammable liquids are mixtures of liquids, liquids or liquids mixed with solids that can lead to a fire breakout. These liquids have an ignition point or flash point of less than sixty-five degrees Celsius. To add on that, flammable liquids give off a vapour that can explode when exposed to an ignition point. These liquids should only be transported in special containers with fire retardant and fire resistance qualities. Good examples of flammable liquids include adhesives, petroleum products, paints, alcohol and heating oil.

Gases

Gases are another category of dangerous goods that you need to know about. In fact, this class has goods that pose the highest level of risk because they are odourless and invisible. You could be inhaling poisonous gases without a slight idea of the danger you are exposing yourself to. Essentially, most safety authorities define gases as substances that remain in a gaseous state at twenty degrees Celsius.  Dangerous gases can cause death by asphyxiation when inhaled, as they limit the circulation of oxygen in the body.

Oxidising Agents

You also need to be wary of oxidising agents. They are dangerous because of their ability to cause or continue a fire. They give off oxygen when combusted. Good examples of oxidising agents are organic peroxides.  

To learn more about how to safely handle goods you'll be transporting, consider taking dangerous goods courses offered in your area.

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