On January 27, 2025, the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Hazardous Chemicals Management officially released the national standard Packaging for Dangerous Goods — Packagings, Intermediate Bulk Containers and Large Packagings — Guidelines for the Application of GB/T 19001 (Draft for Comments), which revises GB/T 27865-2011 Packaging for Dangerous Goods — Packagings, Intermediate Bulk Containers and Large Packagings — Guidelines for the Application of GB/T 19001. The standard is currently open for a 16-month public comment period and is expected to be implemented three months after its official release.
Background
In recent years, the safety management of dangerous goods has faced severe challenges both domestically and internationally. The safety management level of dangerous goods packaging in China varies significantly, with a lack of systematic quality management systems and insufficient alignment with international regulatory requirements. This has hindered the trade development and safety management of dangerous goods. To promote the quality improvement of China's dangerous goods packaging industry and align it with international standards, the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Hazardous Chemicals Management completed the revision of the Packaging for Dangerous Goods — Packagings, Intermediate Bulk Containers and Large Packagings — Guidelines for the Application of GB/T 19001 and prepared the draft for comments. The standard aims to provide packaging manufacturers with systematic guidance on implementing quality management systems, promoting the healthy, environmentally friendly, and sustainable development of China's dangerous goods and packaging industry.
Scope
This document provides guidelines for the application of quality management systems in the manufacturing, measurement, and monitoring of packaging for dangerous goods with approved design types, including packagings, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), and large packagings (LP). It is applicable to the following organizations:
a) Those that need to demonstrate their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer requirements and applicable legal and regulatory requirements;
b) Those aiming to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for system improvement and ensuring compliance with customer and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Compared with GB/T 27865-2011, the main technical changes are as follows:
- Updated Standard References
The technical content has been updated from referencing GB/T 19001-2008 to referencing GB/T 19001-2016 (Chapters 4 to 10, corresponding to Chapters 4 to 10 of the 2011 version).
- Supplemented Industry-Specific Requirements
Added industry-specific requirements for the quality management system of packaging for the transport of dangerous goods, reflected in the following clauses:
7.5.1 Clarifies that the quality management system shall include documented information required by this document and documented information determined by the organization as necessary for the effectiveness of the quality management system.
8.4.1 Emphasizes control of external suppliers, requiring that purchased products must comply with approved design type specifications and be verified through certificates or tests.
8.5.1 Refines production control requirements, stipulating that visual inspections must be conducted after changes in process parameters. If design characteristics are changed, retesting must be carried out according to the relevant provisions of the United Nations Model Regulations. It also requires verification of manufacturing process parameters and design type testing and approval.
8.7.1 Improves the control mechanism for nonconforming outputs, specifying that corrective and preventive measures must be combined, such as conducting batch inspections or increasing testing frequency for nonconformities during production.
9.1.1 Strengthens performance monitoring, requiring the identification of equipment adjustment needs based on visual or automated monitoring. Initial samples must be inspected to ensure compliance with the specifications in Appendices A to C.
- Adjusted Appendix Content
Revised the content of Appendices A to F (the 2011 version included Appendices A to D).
