Part 108 amendments to take effect soon

A number of amendments to the Part 108 air cargo security legislation are now in the last process of completion, according to Rob Garbett, MD of Professional Risk and Asset Management. “These amendments will probably come into effect from June/July,” Garbett told FTW. While they are extensive, some of the most important areas are listed below: • Background checks now required every 24 months; • A consignment security declaration must now accompany each consignment delivered to an air carrier; • The regulated agent is now responsible for conducting random quality control checks on known consignors; • Familiarisation training required is now eight hours. • Tamper-evident packaging may be used; • Detailed regulations covering the use of dogs, training of handlers and minimum competency requirements include explosive-detection dog assessors who must be affiliated to a Part 141 training organisation; • Standard air cargo security training is now divided into Level 1 and Level 2 only. Level 1 is for screeners and Level 2 for designated and deputy designated officials; • Maturing has been removed as a security control; • Existing cargo security screening equipment and new equipment prior to procurement (such as X-ray) must comply with the standards set out in the Technical Standards; • Instructors delivering standard air cargo security training must provide certified proof of training as a facilitator and assessor as well as SA Qualification Authority (Saqa) accreditation; • Labels must now contain the minimum information set out in the Regulations; • Screeners must be certified under Part 110.