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Emergency Action Code (EAC)
The EAC informs the UK emergency services of the equipment and fire extinguisher type required for an incident involving dangerous goods.
The EAC can be found in the top half of the primary panel in the hazard panel:
In this example, the EAC is 2Z.
The EAC is made up of 3 components:
The first digit represents the type of fire extinguisher to be used.
The second digit gives the equipment to be worn by the emergency services.
The third digit, an optional E, is used where the dangerous goods poses a hazard to the public.
The table gives how this all works:
The EAC is given to the driver - they don't have to work it out! However, using a dangerous goods app often includes this information. If ever in doubt, ask!
What if a lorry is transporting more than one substance? How is the EAC found?
In any multi-load, go through the full list of substances carried in order. For each pair, to work out the EAC:
Firstly, the number is always the highest of the pair.
Secondly, the letter is found by using this table that follows
Thirdly, if an E is present in any of the pairing, it is kept
As an example, if a lorry is carrying petrol, 3YE and sulphur, 1Z:
The highest number is 3, so this is used
The combination of Y and Z from the table gives Y
The E is kept from petrol.
This gives this multiload as 3YE.
Should this lorry carry more dangerous goods, you would start from the above, and work with the next substance to get another EAC, until all of them have been processed.
You can download the latest EAC directly from here:
Hazard Identification Number (HIN)
This is only used on ADR markings, so petrol would have an orange plate looking like this:
Immediately you can see there is a difference compared to the EAC. The Hazard Identification Number can be found directly from the ADR book in Table A.
The HIN consists of two or three figures. In general, the figures indicate the following hazards:
2 - Emissions of gas due to pressure or to chemical reaction
3 - Flammability of liquids (vapours) and gases or self-heating liquids
4 - Flammability of solids or self-heating solids
5 - Oxidizing (fire-intensifying) effect
6 - Toxicity (or risk of infection)
7 - Radioactivity
8 - Corrosivity
9 - Risk of spontaneous, violent reaction
Note: Spontaneous violent reaction within the meaning of figure 9 includes the possibility of the risk of explosion, disintegration and polymerization reaction with the release of considerable heat or flammable and/or toxic gases.
Doubling of a figure indicates an intensification of that particular hazard. Where the hazard associated with a substance can be adequately indicated by a single figure, this is followed by zero.
If the substance reacts violently with water, an X is added before the number.
There are some special combinations of these numbers:
20 Asphyxiant gas or gas with no subsidiary hazard
22 Refrigerated liquefied gas, Asphyxiant
223 Refrigerated liquefied gas, flammable
225 Refrigerated liquefied gas, oxidizing (fire intensifying)
23 Flammable gas
238 Gas, flammable corrosive
239 Flammable gas, which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
25 Oxidizing (fire-intensifying) gas
26 Toxic gas
263 Toxic gas, flammable
265 Toxic gas, oxidizing (fire-intensifying)
268 Toxic gas, corrosive
28 Gas, corrosive
30 Flammable liquid (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive) or flammable liquid or solid in the molten state with a flash point above 60°C, heated to a temperature equal to or above its flash point, or self-heating liquid
323 Flammable liquid which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
X323 Flammable liquid which reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gases*
33 Highly flammable liquid (flash-point below 23°C)
333 Pyrophoric liquid
X333 Pyrophoric liquid, which reacts dangerously with water*
336 Highly flammable liquid, toxic
338 Highly flammable liquid, corrosive
X338 Highly flammable liquid, corrosive, which reacts dangerously with water*
339 Highly flammable liquid which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
36 Flammable liquid (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive), slightly toxic, or self-heating liquid, toxic
362 Flammable liquid, toxic, which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
X362 Flammable liquid, toxic, which reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gases*
368 Flammable liquid, toxic, corrosive
38 Flammable liquid (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive), slightly corrosive or self-heating liquid, corrosive
382 Flammable liquid, corrosive, which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
X382 Flammable liquid, corrosive, which reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gases*
39 Flammable liquid, which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
40 Flammable solid, or self-reactive substance, or self-heating substance, or polymerising substance
423 Solid which reacts with water, emitting flammable gas, or flammable solid which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases or self-heating solid which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
X423 Solid which reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gases, or flammable solid which reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gases, or self-heating solid which reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gases*
43 Spontaneously flammable (Pyrophoric) solid
X432 Spontaneously flammable (pyrophoric) solid which reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gases*
44 Flammable solid, in the molten state at an elevated temperature
446 Flammable solid, toxic, in the molten state, at an elevated temperature
46 Flammable or self-heating solid, toxic
462 Toxic solid which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
X462 Solid which reacts dangerously with water, emitting toxic gases*
48 Flammable or self-heating solid, corrosive
482 Corrosive solid which reacts with water, emitting corrosive gases
X482 Solid which reacts dangerously with water, emitting corrosive gases*
50 Oxidizing (fire-intensifying) substance
539 Flammable organic peroxide
55 Strongly oxidizing (fire-intensifying) substance
556 Strongly oxidizing (fire-intensifying) substance, toxic
558 Strongly oxidizing (fire-intensifying) substance, corrosive
559 Strongly oxidizing (fire-intensifying) substance, which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
56 Oxidizing substance (fire-intensifying), toxic
568 Oxidizing substance (fire-intensifying), toxic, corrosive
58 Oxidizing substance (fire-intensifying), corrosive
59 Oxidizing substance (fire-intensifying) which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
60 Toxic or slightly toxic substance
606 Infectious substance
623 Toxic liquid, which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
63 Toxic substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive)
638 Toxic substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive), corrosive
639 Toxic substance, flammable (flash-point not above 60°C), which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
64 Toxic solid, flammable or self-heating
642 Toxic solid, which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
65 Toxic substance, oxidizing (fire-intensifying)
66 Highly toxic substance
663 Highly toxic substance, flammable (flash-point not above 60°C)
664 Highly Toxic substance, flammable or self-heating
665 Highly toxic substance, oxidizing (fire-intensifying)
668 Highly toxic substance, corrosive
X668 Highly toxic substance, corrosive, which reacts dangerously with water*
669 Highly toxic substance which can spontaneously lead to a violent reaction
68 Toxic substance, corrosive
69 Toxic or slightly toxic substance, which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
70 Radioactive material
768 Radioactive material, toxic, corrosive
78 Radioactive material, corrosive
80 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance
X80 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, which reacts dangerously with water*
823 Corrosive liquid which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
83 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive)
X83 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive), which reacts dangerously with water*
836 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C, inclusive) and toxic
839 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C inclusive) which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
X839 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C inclusive), which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction and which reacts dangerously with water*
84 Corrosive solid, flammable or self-heating
842 Corrosive solid which reacts with water, emitting flammable gases
85 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, oxidizing (fire-intensifying)
856 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, oxidizing (fire-intensifying) and toxic
86 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, toxic
88 Highly corrosive substance
X88 Highly corrosive substance, which reacts dangerously with water*
883 Highly corrosive substance, flammable (flash-point between 23°C and 60°C inclusive)
884 Highly corrosive solid, flammable or self-heating
885 Highly corrosive substance, oxidizing (fire-intensifying)
886 Highly corrosive substance, toxic
X886 Highly corrosive substance, toxic which reacts dangerously with water*
89 Corrosive or slightly corrosive substance, which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction
90 Environmentally hazardous substance; miscellaneous dangerous substances
99 Miscellaneous dangerous substance carried at an elevated temperature
* Water not to be used except by approval of experts
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