Transporting dangerous goods?
You are or will be an ADR driver! To safely transport dangerous goods, it is important to know and recognize the different types of substances and their properties. Therefore, hazardous substances are classified into ADR hazard classes. This is the basic knowledge of ADR training.
Hazard classes
Hazard classes group together a group of dangerous goods that may present similar hazards during transport. Of course, an ADR course is not about memorizing all the dangerous goods. However, you do need to know which groups the substances are classified into based on their main hazard.
Main groups
Hazard classes consist of the following main groups of ADR classes:
| No. | Hazard |
|---|---|
| 1 | EXPLOSIVE |
| 2 | GAS |
| 3 | FIRE |
| 4 | FIRE |
| 5 | OXIDIZING |
| 6 | GRANT |
| 7 | RADIOACTIVE |
| 8 | BIJTEND |
| 9 | MISCELLANEOUS |
and then there is a further subdivision of the main groups 2, 4, 5 and 6 into the hazard classes:
Next are the labels associated with the hazard classes:
| No. | Hazard | Classes | Subdivision | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EXPLOSIVE | 1 | Explosive substances and objects |  |
| 2 | GAS | 2 | 2.1 combustible gas
2.2 non-flammable, non-toxic gas 2.3 toxic gas |
 |
| 3 | FIRE | 3 | Flammable liquids |  |
| 4 | FIRE | 4.1
4.2 4.3 |
Combustible solids + Self-reactive substancesSubstances liable to spontaneous combustionSubstances which develop flammable gas with water |
 |
| 5 | OXIDIZING | 5.1
5.2 |
Oxidizing substances
Organic peroxides (self-reactive) |
 |
| 6 | GRANT | 6.1
6.2 |
Toxic substances
Infectious substances |
 |
| 7 | RADIOACTIVE | 7 | Radioactive substances |  |
| 8 | BIJTEND | 8 | Corrosive substances |  |
| 9 | MISCELLANEOUS | 9 | Miscellaneous hazardous substances and objects |  |
Learning hazard classes
Learning the hazard classes with their numbers and designations is the biggest stumbling block of the course for some students. The difficulty factor is converting this knowledge from something abstract, intangible, to something concrete. This is more difficult for some than others.
How should you learn?
Try to memorize the classes with the numbers, names and labels. Not by staring at it for a long time, but by looking at it, say, a hundred times a day, for 10 seconds, and then saying aloud to yourself what you have read.
Little by little
In the beginning, don’t try to say the list in 1 go, but take 2 or 3 classes at a time each time.In the beginning it may still be difficult, but don’t give up and keep trying and keep repeating.You will see that after a few times, better and better will stick each time.
Learning does not happen all at once, but little by little.
“No time” is no excuse
In fact, as you can see, learning a row of hazard classes doesn’t really require much time. You just do the learning between business. If you think about it with concentration from time to time, or repeat the rows in your head or recite them to yourself, you are actually already engaged in the learning process.
If you have more time, writing down the ADR classes is also a good method, or creating the exercises from the training.
Having trouble learning?
It’s not fun to find that you have trouble remembering the hazard classes. Learning it may start to bother you and you may think “I won’t get it in anyway. Yet the results usually do not depend on your ability to learn, but much more on your perseverance!
Don’t give up or procrastinate
Giving up or procrastinating is therefore the worst remedy. Anyone can learn it, but without effort or concentration, it often won’t work. If you put off learning the classes, you are actually running behind each time. Since the knowledge of hazard classes is the common thread in all the topics of the course, without this knowledge you miss a large part of the course. You will definitely notice this in the exam results as well.
A good start…
To follow the ADR course properly, you actually need to know the numbers and names of the hazard classes before you start the course! It’s best to start by learning the 9 main groups of hazard classes.
Review
Do you know the classes after reading them 1 time? Probably not yet. Learning the hazard classes consists mainly of repeating the rows over and over again. You will find that some classes “stick” better than others. This means learning less and less and concentrating only on the classes that you find difficult to remember or that you keep “mixing up. Good luck!
