ICAO defines Dangerous Goods as “articles or substances which are capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property or the environment.” By that definition, this year certainly qualifies. If you could somehow ship the year 2020 in a box, you’d have to slap a hazmat label on it. But which label? In which hazard…
The ORM-D hazmat mark is being phased out. Here’s its retirement speech.
Starting January 1, 2021, the ORM-D mark will no longer be accepted for Dangerous Goods shipments. Here’s what the mark had to say on the occasion of its retirement from public service. Hello, hazmat shippers and Dangerous Goods professionals everywhere. I’m here to announce my retirement from public service, as my last day on the…
11 unforgettable sessions from the 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium
As much as we love getting together with hazmat pros from around the world at the Dangerous Goods Symposium every September, we have to admit there were several advantages to this year’s all-virtual event: You could attend sessions in your pajamas You could mutter objections to the speaker’s opinion without having everyone at your table…
Chinese hazmat regulations explained! More notes from the 2020 DG Symposium.
Two recent sessions at the all-virtual 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium explored two of the more complex issues faced by global hazmat transport operations: Chinese regulations and effective training. Not only are Chinese Dangerous Goods regulations often more restrictive than those in Europe or the U.S.—their regulatory structure can be baffling, too. Yet the continued growth…
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…
Who’s charged up? It’s Lithium Battery Week at the 2020 DG Symposium!
Over the years, the most popular day of the Dangerous Goods Symposium has been Lithium Battery Day. Everyone’s favorite Class 9 Miscellaneous material always seems to make the most news, stir up the most controversy and inspire the most teeth-gnashing. This year, with the Symposium taking place virtually at the new DG Exchange, we were…
Want regulatory updates? The 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium is underway!
With a pastry and a cup of coffee on your desk, the first session of the 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium felt a lot like previous years. Two regulatory experts were speaking, and trying to take in all the information they shared was like drinking from a firehose. Of course, this year’s Symposium isn’t like other…
Lithium Battery Week is coming! Dangerous Goods Symposium preview, part 2
Finally, Dangerous Goods professionals get their own Shark Week. September 14–18 is Lithium Battery Week at the Dangerous Goods Symposium. Unlike previous years when most of the lithium battery sessions were crammed into a single day, this year’s virtual format gives you a full week of updates, insights and controversial opinions about everyone’s favorite Class…
Dangerous Goods Symposium preview: Competence, compliance and explosives
This year’s Dangerous Goods Symposium, for obvious reasons, won’t assemble the world’s leading trainers, shippers and regulators together for three days in the same physical space. But it will still bring the world’s hazmat shipping community together. This year, you can experience the Symposium at the new DG Exchange—the Dangerous Goods industry’s first digital community.…