During the last year or so of global pandemic, Dangerous Goods regulatory bodies have gone to extraordinary lengths to accommodate unforeseen challenges while keeping the hazmat supply chain safe. Now that the world’s economies may be inching their way back toward something resembling normal, these agencies are taking unprecedented measures to raise their images within…
DG Digest: IATA issues second addendum to the 62nd DGR, PHMSA to hold Lithium Battery Air Safety meeting this week
Today’s digest covers the two weeks just past. The first week of the period was quiet; the second week, quite busy. IATA published a new addendum and PHMSA was quite active. All in all, a busy period. Meanwhile, the vaccination effort against the ongoing pandemic continues. Let’s all keep working and living safe and do our part to battle this…
DG Digest: Buttigieg confirmed to run DOT, new IATA portal offers guidance for vaccine shippers.
The nation enters the second week of February with vaccination efforts against the COVID-19 virus still accelerating. It’s going to be a long slog to the end of this massive project, but we’re on the road. If your workplace is planning on engaging with health authorities in terms of assisting your workforce, now’s the time to get…
Two upcoming webinars focus on essential Dangerous Goods issues.
In the Dangerous Goods galaxy, you never run out of new subjects to master. That’s why we try to connect you with industry experts whenever possible. Sometimes a topic—such as cold chain packaging—takes on new importance due to global events. And we’ve got an upcoming webinar for that. Sometimes a regulatory agency such as IATA…
DG Digest: IATA releases download of Appendix H on competency-based training in advance of 2023 mandate
It’s the second full week of October—time flies! Now’s a great time to review and if need be update your workplace’s cold weather plans. It won’t be too long in many places before snow and ice make a potential early season comeback, so a safety plan for your employees always makes sense. Meanwhile, it’s Thanksgiving…
What we can learn from regulatory updates at the DG Symposium
On one level, regulatory update sessions at the 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium are for true DG diehards—the trainers and shipping managers who have to know hazmat regulations in detail to keep their clients and operations compliant. But even if your job only occasionally touches the Dangerous Goods supply chain, you can still gain valuable insight.…
An explosive finish to Lithium Battery Week at the 2020 DG Symposium
The final two sessions of Lithium Battery Week at the 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium were explosive, in different ways. One session featured carriers, regulators, industry reps and top trainers squaring off on the hottest topic in hazmat transport, and other featured video of batteries actually blowing up. Here’s a brief recap. Let’s watch lithium batteries…
What are operator variations, and how do they impact your hazmat shipments?
The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations manual—known throughout the supply chain as the “IATA DGR”—is universally acknowledged as the world’s single authority on the compliant transport of hazardous materials by air. It’s more than 1,000 pages thick. Surely IATA has issued every rule any shipper would need to know, right? Not quite. There’s a whole chapter…
The hazmat pro’s guide to the American Revolution
It’s been a challenging year, but the 4th of July is right around the corner, and we intend to celebrate! How? By sharing the true story of American independence as only fellow Dangerous Goods professionals can understand it. Every American schoolchild learns the classic version of the American Revolution, from the Boston Tea Party to…
DG Digest: ICAO publishes COVID-19 safety handbook for the aviation industry and PHMSA issues HM-215O final rule
May continues under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, in what we may all perhaps hope represents a step towards recovery, the big news this week is far more focused towards what we all might call “normal” regulatory activity, rather than the specific, focused actions related to the outbreak which have had primacy over…