More than 1.25 million shipments of dangerous goods are aerominated annually. Based on the fact that air cargo traffic is expected to increase in the future, so will be the tendency for the shipment of dangerous goods by air,. The transportation and management of these hazardous products must be done safely. Only this level of safety is possible through proper training or certification in the handling of dangerous goods.
What Are Dangerous Goods?
According to the IATA DGR, dangerous goods are substances or articles presenting potential hazards to persons, property, or the environment in air transport operations. These goods are either named on the IATA DGR or list of dangerous goods or classified in accordance with the IATA DGR.
It is crucial to identify with a certain degree of correctness which goods are considered dangerous when shipping cargo by air. We address here in a pretty extensive list over 3,500 specific shipping names of dangerous goods and further subdivisions of classifications for each category.
What Are Dangerous Goods Classes?
In the process of shipping dangerous goods, it is crucial to learn categorization of the hazardous goods as per the guidelines. The United Nations, or UN, has categorized nine different classes of dangerous goods, and every class targets a particular type of risk.
In the course of this work, shippers have to declare the various dangerous goods certificate the contents of a package as per the corresponding classes outlined in the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR). Every dangerous good falls into one of the following categories:
- Class 1—Explosives
- Class 2—Gases
- Class 3: Flammable Liquids
- Class 4—Flammable Solids; products with a risk of spontaneous combustion; substances, with which, when mixed with water creates flammable vapours.
- Class 5—Oxidizing Substances and Organic Peroxides
- Class 6—Toxic and Infectious Substances
- Class 7—Radioactive Materials
- Class 8—Corrosive Substances
- Class 9—Miscellaneous Dangerous Substances and Articles, Including Environmentally Hazardous Materials
According to the properties of a substance, it is possible that this is a dangerous good that is classified into several classes.
Packaging and Packing
The necessary safeguard to guarantee the correct handling and transport of limited quantities of dangerous products is through appropriate packaging. There can be defined requirements for the performance characteristics of the package in terms of the response of packages to various conditions encountered during air transport: changes in pressure and temperature, mechanical shock, and vibration.
The DGR also has elaborate packing requirements identifying the manner in which the dangerous goods and the package must be integrated to form an aircraft transport package. For the protection of all workers who will come into contact with the products, the packs should be properly branded and labeled to show the risks involved in handling the contents inside.
What Are Dangerous Goods Marks and Labels?
It is crucial to properly identify and label dangerous goods packages so that different individuals when handling the packages, they get to know the contents of the package. This assures safety and appropriate storage and transportation of dangerous goods 2.
The markings will indicate:
- Whether the packaging meets the test standards of the UN.
- The actual name that the shipper gives to the contents.
- Full name of the consignor and consignee.
- Hazard labels are predicated on the kind of danger class that the contents belong to.
Further, handling instructions that are related to the safe handling will also be provided through a handy package of packing instructions. Some of these are orienting labels such as “This Way Up,” warning labels such as “Keep away from heat,” “Cryogenic liquids,” “Magnetized materials,” and “Cargo aircraft only.”. These labels are important so that the employees who will be handling the package will do so safely and in compliance with standard safety measures.
Dangerous Goods Transportation: Roles and Responsibilities
Transportation of hazardous products entails a series of functions that must be executed concurrently to complete the process safely and without incident at the destination. They are all regulated by dangerous goods and training requirements and codes governing the manufacturer, pilot-in-command, and everyone in-between.
Manufacturer
From here it moves to the supplier of the goods that may be tasked with putting together a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS or SDS). This document indicates whether the goods are dangerous goods or not and other essential safety details.
Shipper
The shipper performs a paramount responsibility when it comes to the transport of dangerous goods through airways. Some of them include determining the correct hazard class of the shipment, filling out the shipper’s Declaration of Dangerous Goods properly, packing the dangerous goods in the right and secure containers, as well as helping to put labels and marks on the shipment as required by the relevant safety standards.
Freight Forwarder
To perform their functions, freight forwarders need to take specialized dangerous goods training for the safety of doing business. One very important duty involves searching for concealed, leaking, or misdeclared hazardous or perishable cargo. They also play the important function of safe handling and storage of hazards during transport. Also, through the undertaken documentation, packaging, and other compliance checks, as to ensure that the consignment to the carrier is not deferred by the airline due to various compliance issues.
Ground Handler
Third-party handlers or contractors are, on most occasions, hired by airlines or air cargo operators to handle dangerous goods on the ground. It also shows that these personnel must have the right dangerous goods certification to handle such freight safely. They also exhibit compliance with the Dangerous Goods Regulations by completing checklists that determine compliance with documentation, marks, labels, shipping names, and packaging requirements. They also scan through the cargo with a view to identifying any signs of damage or risk when the cargo is loaded in the aircraft.
Aircraft Loading
The training is required only personnel that have direct contact with the dangerous goods to be loaded on the aircraft should have an adequate understanding of the associated risks. Some of the responsibilities include safety, ensuring that the goods are properly inspected, and also properly loaded & unloaded and properly segregated. They also must adhere to those reporting procedures in case of any occurrence involving the dangerous goods.
Pilot in Command
When dangerous goods are aboard, tailored determinations are necessary; when they are loaded in the aircraft, a notification to the captain must be made. The associated dangerous goods list available in this document explains to the pilot in command the measures to be taken and actions to be followed in the event of an emergency or the occurrence of any other problem concerning the materials on board.
Why Are Air Cargo Rules and Regulations Updated Annually?
The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations are based on the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, the international standards and recommended practices established by the International Civil Aviation Organization for the carriage of hazardous materials by air, and the experiences of its member airlines. IATA acknowledges that airline operations, national laws, and other related legislation change sometimes frequently and sometimes are more rigid than the ICAO initial benchmarks. To the fact that people continue to develop innovative ideas, IATA revises its manual yearly. This guarantees compliance with the highest safety standards possible, besides factoring in the incorporation of operational clarifications that define transportation of dangerous goods and improved safety measures to meet new challenges.
How to Obtain Dangerous Goods Certification course
Dangerous goods certification also takes care of your employees and your team by making sure that knowledge and compliance about preparing proper shipping and handling hazardous material are adequate. This training must be compulsory not only for all employees who perform the shipping tasks involving dangerous goods but for each participant in the logistics flow who may not deal with dangerous goods themselves.
Why is dangerous goods certification important?
Safety forms the core value of IATA, starting with the transport of dangerous goods and observed compliance with regulation. That is why training is mandatory for all employees who are involved in the preparation, offering, accepting, or handling of dangerous goods. Moreover, a refresher training course is necessary every 24 months to maintain the validity of the certification.
Competency-based training and assessment for the issuing of a dangerous goods certification means that there are standards to uphold as well as accommodate the best of education that is relevant to the current and characteristic positions of most employees.
What Are IATA Certificates?
IATA provides dangerous goods training for different jobs in the supply chain process; there are training programs like DGR for preparing DG Consignments training and DGR for Flight Crew Members training. A test score of 80% guarantees the participant an IATA Certificate of Completion. Extraordinary performance is recognized if the score reaches up to 90 percent and above.
In addition to role-specific online dangerous goods training only, IATA provides three advanced courses for individuals seeking certification as dangerous goods instructors or course designers:
- Program Specific Training for the Competency-Based Training for Dangerous Goods Instructional Designer
- Competency-Based Training of Dangerous Goods Instructor
How Are the Courses Delivered?
For their training programs, IATA provides traditional classrooms as well as virtual classrooms and in-house programs. With in-house training, it seems shipping training is convenient since it can be taken wherever the participant wants and particularly suitable for any group of 8-10 or more.
This can be done from a list of courses presented online course or from consultations with some of the trainers in order to be provided with special training for your precisely problematic area, which leads to the obtaining of dangerous goods certification in respective spheres. Recreation courses, authorized by IATA, can be taken individually or as a set, with IATA Certificates and Diplomas at the end of the program.
What Is Involved in the Assessment?
IATA training incorporates assessments to foster a deeper level of competency across four key areas: education, competence, approach, and practice. Evaluation enables learners to showcase their learnt knowledge and skills from the module across the instructional period. Evaluations may include:
- Formal Outputs: Pupils may be expected to write tests, quizzes, essays, assignments, term papers, projects, portfolios, and presentations.
- Weighting: The course outline makes it clear the proportion that each of the grades bears in relation to the others.
- Participation: In the case of instructor-led courses, some form of participation may be used to contribute toward the final grade and guarantee successful completion of the course as well as certification.
For courses specific to DG, including lithium batteries and infectious substances, there is a dedicated end-of-course exam, which must be passed at a rate of 80%.
How Long Is the Dangerous Goods Certification Valid?
The dangerous goods certification is as follows: This certification is issued for two years. To encourage compliance, IATA has made it easy to renew the license by providing online training courses and developing annual manuals that cover existing rules and regulations proper shipping name.
Dangerous Goods Audit Certification Course provides
IATA has laid down courses in the training of auditors and inspectors of the dangerous goods field. ‘This course covers and enables a participant to understand how to achieve an effective dangerous goods audit that has defined objectives based on audit scope, follow-up, and closing of a dangerous goods audit initial and recurrent training.’ The course therefore provides participants with tools and basic skills for performing competent DG audits and inspections. It is a 5-day, face-to-face classroom learning program.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can therefore be deduced that dangerous goods certification remains compulsory in ensuring that safety and compliance are achieved in the air transport industry. Since dealing with hazardous material comes with great difficulties and has some dangerous elements, it is very important to see to it that all workers are informed and trained and also that they have knowledge of the current laws and regulations. IATA has training programs that offer all the required information recurrent training and practical experience needed to facilitate efficient, safe transportation of dangerous goods from producers to flight crews. The assessments conducted periodically provide the training institution with proof that trainees are capable of delivering the expected competencies, and the frequent changes that are made to training courses are in response to the changing environment in air cargo transportation.
Using IATA dangerous goods training and certification and training as one of the tools, organizations will be able to protect their activity, increase the level of security, and correspond to the global regulations. Consistent subdivision into training, assessment, and certificate providing a simple route that helps individuals and companies fill the gaps of requirements in the sphere and make a positive input to the safety of air transport in general. Added to these is the advantage of easy course renewal and the resources provided in this publication, making sure that stakeholders are always ready to deal with dangerous goods with all the required knowledge and precautions.