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4
TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY
Transportation Of Dangerous Goods
Over 27 million dangerous goods shipments
are transported across Canada each year. Most of these include
goods that directly influence and improve the lifestyle that Canadians
have come to expect and enjoy. The Transportation of Dangerous
Goods (TDG) program enhances public safety during the transportation
of goods that can threaten public safety when involved in an accidental
release.
If they are severe enough to meet the reporting requirements
defined in the TDG Regulations, TDG accidents are called "reportable."
It is important to note that very few TDG accidents are caused
by the dangerous goods themselves. In 2000, there was one reportable
TDG accident directly caused by dangerous goods. One injury resulted
from this accident.
Table 4-15 compares reportable accidents involving dangerous
goods by mode and phase of transport from 1995 to 2000. "In-transit"
accidents include those that occurred during actual transport,
while "not-in-transit" accidents are those that took
place at facilities where the goods were prepared for transport
or stored in the course of transport.
In 2000, there were 511 reportable dangerous goods accidents.
As has historically been the case, many of these accidents occurred
in warehouses while the goods were being handled before loading
or after unloading. From 1991 to 2000, more dangerous goods accidents
occurred at the handling stage than during transportation.
Table 4-16 summarizes deaths and injuries caused by dangerous
goods at reportable accidents that involved dangerous goods. It
also shows injuries by level of severity. Two deaths and 42 injuries
were caused by dangerous goods in 2000.
Table 4-17 shows the total number of deaths and injuries that
occurred at reportable accidents involving dangerous goods. In
most cases, the deaths and injuries were caused by the accident
itself (e.g. a collision), not by the goods.
In Tables 4-16 and 4-17, "minor" injuries refer to
those that require first-aid treatment, "moderate" injuries
involve emergency hospital treatment, and "major" injuries
require overnight hospitalization.
Transportation Of Dangerous Goods
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