(NC) Whether you’re a consumer returning something that you no longer want or need, or a manufacturer or retailer sending out products to your customers, it’s important that you know the rules about shipping certain products.

Under federal regulations, some items are classified as “dangerous goods” and need to be labelled as such if you’re shipping them by mail or courier. Dangerous goods can include anything with a lithium battery – such as a watch or phone – aerosol sprays, perfumes and cleaning supplies, to name a few.

Whenever you’re shipping any of these items, their contents must be clearly and properly labelled on the outside of the package and identified in the accompanying documentation.

Doing this helps prevent accidents during transport that could put many people at risk, such as a delivery person, employees working in shipping who receive the package or first-responders who are called in to deal with an incident.

As consumers, we’re responsible for clearly and properly labelling any dangerous goods that we’re returning by mail or courier. If you’re not sure how, contact the retailer or manufacturer for details. In some cases, they may require you to return the dangerous goods directly to one of their physical outlets.

Learn more about labelling requirements for dangerous goods at tc.canada.ca/en/dangerous-goods.