New dangerous goods training regimen on the cards

Some airfreight logistics
managers still fail to
appreciate the business
value of dangerous goods
training and send employees
on courses merely to tick
regulatory compliance boxes.
But with the imminent
scrapping of the most broadly
used training requirement
guide published by the
International Air Transport
Association (Iata), namely
Table 1.5.A, which
lays out who
should
receive what
categories
of training,
attitudes
are likely
to improve,
as workers
benefit from
a new
training regimen. The current
table sets out tasks and
responsibilities and the 12
categories of dangerous goods
training.
Professional Aviation
Services general manager for
aviation security (AVSEC),
Dave Alexander, said Iata
was discontinuing the
table in 2018 and training
institutions would have to
produce competency-based
training in line with the
intention of international
regulations.
Professional Aviation
Services is an Iata
and South African
Civil Aviation
Authority (SACAA)
authorised training
centre that offers all
SACAA-approved
aviation security
awareness, aviation security
training for supervisors
and managers, cargo and
passenger screeners and all
categories of dangerous goods
awareness training. The
company
also
provides
customertailored
courses
from forklift
and first air
to health
and safety
training
as well as
Part 108
designated
official
services.
“Most companies see
dangerous goods training
as an investment in
their personnel and in
their business but some
unfortunately don’t. This
is exacerbated by the fact
that currently people do
not receive job specific,
competency-based training
so companies do it for
compliance only and not
for the development of the
person and the safety of
the business and air travel,”
he said.
“Attitudes to dangerous
goods training will change
when companies perceive
value and not just compliance.
Education
is also
lacking and
companies
do not
appreciate
the “why
train?”
beyond the
need to be
compliant,”
he said.
“It’s
important
that
training
providers understand the
business of their clients in
order to offer training that is
job-specific and competency
based. To do any different is
a disservice to the client and
the industry and could result
in danger to aircraft and the
travelling public,” he said.
Alexander added that there
were also misunderstandings
in the industry regarding
dangerous goods training.
“Many freight forwarders
are under the mistaken
impression that they only
need two trained Dangerous
Goods CAT 6 personnel
members to be an Iata
member but this is an
incorrect assumption. Iata
requires freight forwarders
to be trained in Dangerous
Goods CAT 3 – or they say
that they are not a Part 108
regulated agent and therefore
don’t require any dangerous
goods training at all. Both
assumptions are completely
wrong,” he said.
“Part 92 of the Civil
Aviation Regulations, Part
92.00.8 requires each person
who has any contact with
dangerous goods, dangerous
goods documentation or
unescorted access into a
cargo warehouse to undergo
dangerous goods awareness
training in the appropriate
category,” he said.
Professional Aviation
Services has completed some
20 000 training interventions
since 2009 and is the
preferred training provider
to 36 regulated agents
and several major courier
companies.
INSERT & CAPTION
It's important that training
providers understand the
business of their clients
in order to offer training
that is job-specific and
competency based.
– Dave Alexander