Same Dangerous Good, Two Different Rulebooks
Picture 10,000 litres of diesel. On the back of a truck, it’s covered by an Emergency Information Panel (EIP) you attach. At the same time a completely different set of rules to the same diesel you hold in the storage tank in your yard. Confuse the two and you either over-sign a site (wasted cost) or under-sign it (a compliance gap the next auditor will find in minutes).
This guide explains exactly where transport signage and storage signage part ways. What each is called, which law governs it, and the quantity thresholds that decide when obligations actually starts.
What Is an Emergency Information Panel?
You fit an Emergency Information Panel with the diamond-format placard, to a vehicle transporting dangerous goods, giving emergency services the UN number, class, in addition to emergency contact information they need at an incident. It is a transport document, not a storage one — and it is only one half of the compliance picture.
Transport Signage (EIPs) : The ADG Code
When you transport dangerous goods by road or rail in Australia your actions are, in part, governed by the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code, currently edition 7.9, which became mandatory nationally from 1 October 2025. It is administered by the National Transport Commission together with state and territory transport law.
The trigger point for transport signage is straightforward It’s the placardable quantity you actually carry on the vehicle at the time. Key signage elements include the ADG Code placard specification and the HAZCHEM outer warning placard – found all together in our Emergency Information Panels.
Storage Signage (EIPs) : WHS Regulations and State DG Acts
Once you hold dangerous goods on-site rather than in transit, you must apply a different set of instruments: the Model Work Health and Safety Regulations, specifically Schedules 11 and 13. In Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory — a separate state Dangerous Goods Act regime that sits alongside the WHS framework.
The trigger point for you here is the Schedule 11 threshold quantity you hold on-site, not the quantity you move at any one time. Storage signage requirements draw on AS 1216 for class labels (a minimum 250mm square) and, for flammable liquid storage specifically, AS 1940.
Transport EIPs vs Storage at a Glance
| Transport | Storage | |
| Primary instrument | ADG Code, edition 7.9 (mandatory from 1 Oct 2025) | Model WHS Regulations (Schedules 11 & 13) plus state DG Acts |
| Administered by | National Transport Commission / state transport law | State WHS regulators; Vic, SA & NT retain separate DG Act regimes |
| Key signage standard | ADG Code EIP and placard spec; HAZCHEM outer warning placard | AS 1216 class labels (min. 250mm square); AS 1940 for flammable liquid storage |
| Trigger point | Placardable quantity on the vehicle | Schedule 11 threshold quantity held on-site |
Worked Example: When Does Diesel Need a Placard?
| A site holding 10,000 litres of diesel needs a placard. Once that on-site holding reaches 100,000 litres, a manifest is also required under Schedule 11 of the Model WHS Regulations. |
The same pattern — a lower placard threshold, then a higher manifest threshold — repeats across most dangerous goods classes. If you’re not sure which side of either line your site sits on, check your on-site quantities against the Schedule 11 tables. The you can review your EIP and placard signage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a vehicle Transport EIP satisfy my site’s storage signage obligations?
No, an EIP is a transport document governed by the ADG Code. Once you have unloaded dangerous goods and held on-site, after that, storage signage obligations under the WHS Regulations and AS 1216 apply separately.
What changed in ADG Code edition 7.9?
Edition 7.9 became the mandatory national edition from 1 October 2025. Sites and transport operators should confirm their EIP placarding and documentation reference the current edition rather than a superseded one.
Do Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory follow different storage rules?
Yes. These three jurisdictions retain a separate Dangerous Goods Act regime that operates alongside — not instead of — the Model WHS Regulations, so you or your site operators should check both frameworks.
What size does a storage class label on your EIP need to be?
AS 1216 sets a minimum size of 250mm square for you to use for class labels. AS 1940 governing additional requirements for flammable liquid storage specifically.
What’s the difference between a placard and a manifest?
A placard is a visible warning sign triggered at a lower on-site quantity threshold, whereas a manifest is a detailed written record of dangerous goods held on-site, triggered at a higher quantity threshold under Schedule 11. Both therefore can apply at the same site once you cross the threshold.
Contact National Safety Signs
National Safety Signs Online Store and Retail Shopfront is based in South East Queensland and supplies safety signage, including Emergency Information Panels and Dangerous Goods Placards, throughout Australia.
For enquiries, urgent orders, or bulk pricing:
- Phone: 07 5665 8996
- Australia-wide delivery available
- Express freight options available
- Buy online – https://nationalsafetysigns.com.au/
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Why Choose National Safety Signs for your Emergency Information Panels?
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“Thanks National Safety Signs for your signs, they arrived very quickly and were exactly what I needed!” — Rosemary. National Safety Signs
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