Positive benefits of Security 108 training evident

More and more freight agents are buying into the value of training especially in light of Security 108 and 109, says Dries Viljoen, divisional chief executive of AAFSA. “It cannot be underestimated and business has clearly come on board in the past year – particularly with regard to Part 108 and 109 AVSEC training,” says Viljoen. AAFSA, a division of Bidair Services, offers a range of training courses and risk assessments to the industry. “It is clear that many freight agents are taking these regulations very seriously and are doing their best to ensure compliance. Parts 108 and 109 ensure that employees are trained in dangerous goods handling – and a reduction in the number of dangerous goods incidents is one of the positive outcomes that has become evident,” Viljoen told FTW. He believes there is growing commitment by management to staff training, despite the financial constraints of the past year – and he believes the outlook for the year ahead in terms of training can best described as very promising. “Especially in view of the fact that executive management, despite of the financial constraints they have experienced over the past fiscal year, has invested heavily in the training of their staff. Not cutting down on their training budgets has been a bold decision for many companies.” And these are the companies, says Viljoen, who will reap the benefits of improved security and safety over the next two to three years.