The mark must be:
- legible
- durable and not transferable
- placed in a location that is visible when the wood packaging is in use, preferably on at least two
opposite sides of the wood packaging unit. The mark must not be hand drawn.
The use of red or orange should be avoided because these colours are used in the labelling of dangerous goods.
Where various components are integrated into a unit of wood packaging material, the resultant composite unit should be considered as a single unit for marking purposes. On a composite unit of wood packaging material made of both treated wood and processed wood material (where the processed component does not require treatment), it may be appropriate for the mark to appear on the processed wood material components to ensure that the mark is in a visible location and is of a sufficient size. This approach to the application of the mark applies only to composite single units, not to temporary assemblies of wood packaging material.
Special consideration of legible application of the mark to dunnage may be necessary because treated wood for use as dunnage may not be cut to final length until loading of a conveyance takes place. It is important that shippers ensure that all dunnage used to secure or support commodities is treated and displays the mark described in this annex, and that the marks are clear and legible. Small pieces of wood that do not include all the required elements of the mark should not be used for dunnage. Options for marking dunnage appropriately include:
- application of the mark to pieces of wood intended for use as dunnage along their entire length at very short intervals (NB: where very small pieces are subsequently cut for use as dunnage, the cuts should be made so that an entire mark is present on the dunnage used.)
- additional application of the mark to treated dunnage in a visible location after cutting, provided that the shipper is authorized in accordance with Section 4.
The examples below illustrate some acceptable variants of the required components of the mark that is used to certify that the wood packaging material that bears such a mark has been subjected to an approved treatment. No variations in the symbol should be accepted. Variations in the layout of the mark should be accepted provided that they meet the requirements set out in this annex.