Dangerous Goods Airfreight
Your Responsibilities As A Shipper
Definition
“Dangerous Goods are articles or substances
which are capable of posing a significant risk to
hearth, safety or to property when transported by air
and which are classified according to Section 3.” (IATA
Dangerous Goods Regulation 42nd Edition Section 1, 1.0
pg. 1)
Background Information
The United Nations Committee of Experts develops
recommended procedures for the transport of all
dangerous goods (excluding radioactive materials), by
all modes of transport.The International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) uses these recommendations to
develop regulations for the safe transport of dangerous
goods by air. These
are published in the ICAO Technical Instructions.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA)
have also developed regulations that contain all of the
requirements of the ICAO Technical instructions, but
include additional restrictions. The IATA Dangerous
Goods Regulations have been developed to reflect
industry standards and practical considerations.
Therefore, compliance with the IATA Dangerous Goods
Regulations helps to ensures your compliance with all
airlines, not only IATA member airlines. Please note
that many airlines and countries publish additional
variations, more restrictive conditions, which are
specific to the particular country or airline. These
variations are published in the IATA DG Regulation but
may be imposed at any time.
Application of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulation
Basically, the IATA dangerous Goods regulations are
applicable to all IATA member and associated airlines,
all shippers (YOU) and agents (US) that offer
consignments of dangerous goods to these operators.
(Ref: IATA DG Reg. Section 1.2.1 pg. 2)
Shipper Responsibilities (Section 1.3)
When offering a shipment for airfreight, a Shipper must
fully comply with the IATA DG Regulations and any
additional regulations set by the State (Government) at
origin, transit points and destination. A shipper
offering goods in violation of the Regulations may be in
breach of national law and subject to legal penalties.
In Australia the responsible body is the Civil Aviation
Safety Authority.
Specific Responsibilities
Before offering any dangerous goods for airfreight, the
shipper must comply with the following:
- "Provide information to employees
which will enable them to carry our their
responsibilities with regards to the transport of
dangerous goods by air.” (1.3.2.1)
- "The shipper must ensure that the articles
or substances are not prohibited for transport by
air" Please refer to table 2.1.A (1.3.2.2)
- The articles or substances must be properly
indentified, classified, packed, marked, labelled,
and documented and otherwise in a condition for
transport in accordance with these regulations"
(1.3.2.3)
- “Before a consignment of dangerous goods is
offered for air transport, all relevant persons
involved in the preparations must have received
training to enable them to carry out their
responsibilities (Refer to Section 1.5)”……
- However, “Where the shipper does not have the
trained staff, the ‘relevant persons’ may be
interpreted as applying to those employed to act on
the shippers behalf and undertake the shippers
responsibilities in the preparation of the
consignment.”
(1.3.2.4)
- This is referring to the use of specific Dangerous
Goods Specialists that must be trained as specified
in section 1.5.
- “The articles or substances must be properly
identified, classified, packed, marked, labelled and
documented and otherwise in a condition for
transport in accordance with these regulations.”
(1.3.2.3)
Training Requirements
“The successful application of regulations
concerning the transport of dangerous goods and the
achievement of their objectives are greatly dependent on
the appreciations by all individuals concerned of the
risks involved and on a detailed understanding of the
Regulations. This can only be achieved by properly
planned and maintained initial and recurrent training
programs for all persons concerned in the transport of
dangerous goods.” (1.5.0.1)
The particular training requirements are set our in
the remainder of section 1.5.
Please note that a proper record of training must be
kept on file including a copy of the certificates.
Summary of Shipper
Responsibilities
·
Provide information to
employees, enabling them to fulfil their
responsibilities with regards to the IATA Dangerous
Goods Regulations.
·
Provide approved
training for all staff involved in the preparation of a
dangerous goods shipment by air.
·
Keep written records of
the training including copies of certificates.
·
Properly identify the
article or substance, ensuring that it is not forbidden
for transport by air.
·
Properly classify the
article or substance according to section 3 of the
regulation.
·
Package, marked,
labelled, documented and offer the goods in a general
condition for transport in accordance with these
regulations
The above information is in not
exhaustive, and serves as a summary only
EMO Trans Australia
strongly recommends that any shipper offering Dangerous
Goods for airfreight, have a current copy of the
Dangerous goods regulations available in the workplace
and obtain training from an authorised and approved
training provider. Alternatively you can employ an
Approved Specialist Dangerous Goods company to act on
your behalf with regards to the preparation of dangerous
goods for airfreight.
Please call us if you require
assistance to find an authorised provider of training,
or an authorised Dangerous Goods Specialist.
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