There are hazmat regulations, and then there are hazmat air transport regulations. However complex and burdensome you might find the regulations for transport of any given material by road, rail or vessel, you can bet the regulations for shipping that same material by air are tougher to comply with.
The reason for the disparity is obvious. A truck with a fire on board can pull over. A plane with a fire on board is a life-threatening emergency.
That’s one reason why anyone who ships or handles Dangerous Goods for air transport needs their training renewed every two years or 24 months.
It’s also why we’ve just introduced the industry’s most complete online IATA training course: Shipping DG by Air—IATA 59th Edition—Category 1 Full Shipper Training.
The IATA course for complete compliance
Labelmaster currently offers nine hazmat training courses that cover the full range of training required by anyone who works in Dangerous Goods transport. Two of them are IATA training courses. What’s the difference between them?
- Shipping DG by Air for Operations Personnel is a basic, functional course for people who package and process hazmat shipments for air transport.
- Shipping DG by Air—Full Shipper Training is a new, more comprehensive course for people who supervise hazmat shipping operations and are responsible for keeping them compliant.
“This course is for the people who make compliance decisions—the coaches, leaders and mentors—who have to understand compliance one hundred percent,” says Labelmaster Director of Global Learning Rhonda Jessop. “They’re the people who sign off on shipping documentation and make decisions about packaging selection.
“They could be in charge of EH&S for a large organization, or running their own operation where they do everything from A to Z. They have to understand hazmat classification and what it means for compliant air shipping.”
“More detail on critical shipping considerations.”
So what does the Full Shipper Training course contain that the Operations Personnel course doesn’t?
“It’s much more comprehensive, with many, many more questions and interactive activities,” says Jessop. “It covers every aspect of the IATA regulations, so it offers much more detail on critical shipping considerations.”
Here’s a partial list of topics the new course covers in greater detail:
- A general awareness of Dangerous Goods
- Training requirements
- Dangerous Goods classification and criteria
- Selection of the proper shipping name and use of the Dangerous Goods List (DGL)
- Special provisions, limited and excepted quantities of Dangerous Goods
- IATA Packing Instructions and packaging selection
- Package testing and UN Specification Requirements
- Marking and labeling Dangerous Goods shipments
- Documentation requirements for air shipments
- Operator considerations
- How the IATA DGR (59th edition) applies in various countries and with various airlines
- Safety and security provisions
Jessop points to one example that highlights the deeper level of comprehension offered by the new course. “This course has a new section on packaging testing. You may understand the UN mark on a package, but now you’ll understand how it earned that mark.”
“It’s not for everybody,” Jessop admits. “It’s tougher, because we want people with these responsibilities to be very, very good at their jobs.”
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of goods and services for hazardous materials and Dangerous Goods professionals, shippers, transport operators and EH&S providers. See our full line of solutions at labelmaster.com.
