Shippers are often the weakest link in the hazardous cargo transport chain, whether through
ignorance or a conscious attempt to escapeadditional charges.
But strict new legislation is on the cards, reports FTW's Leonard Neill, and cargo owners will be forced to take responsibility.
US now imposes $20 000 fine and confiscates the goods
THE REAL hazards in the handling of dangerous consignments are often the shippers as much as the goods they are consigning, and mainly because of their efforts to avoid the regulations governing hazardous cargo, says Neville Symons of Dangerous Goods Management (DGM).
Too often they are prepared to duck and dive among forwarding agents, moving from one to another in their efforts to find one who will either incorrectly declare or not declare at all the dangerous nature of the goods, he says.
Then there is the exporter who does not know or realise his legal responsibilities in these matters. They don't check with their insurance company the risks involved and merely regard any policy as their safeguard.
Symons started the South African operation of DGM five years ago as part of the worldwide company with its headquarters in Holland. It is today the only IATA-registered training school dealing with dangerous goods regulations in South Africa, but he despairs of the fact that the majority of exporters and forwarding agents are still not fully aware of the regulations which have to be observed.
Goods are turned back from European destinations, but the US has a different approach, he says. There the Federal Aviation Authority now imposes a $20 000 minimum fine on shipments which have not been correctly documented and confiscates them.
Too many shippers sign documents without knowing the full implications. It isn't merely the very dangerous items that are controlled under these regulations, but also many run-of-the-mill household requirements which are rated as dangerous in carriage.
He points to a pot of cayenne pepper in his office and explains that items such as these, if spilt in transit, can be dangerous to flight crews. They are among lesser considered goods which are nevertheless classified as dangerous.
There is naturally a higher rate applied by carriers when the goods are dangerous, and for this reason so many shippers try to avoid the excess charges. I would like to see a sliding scale of tariffs introduced which would ease the burden on many exporters in cases where the danger levels on some items are lower than others, rather than have a single rate which exists at present.
But it must be pointed out that the IATA regulations call for every person involved, from the managing director down to the forklift operator, to have proper training in the handling of dangerous goods. It is becoming so serious a concern that the European Union is introducing rules which are to be law by end 2001.
This includes the requirement that a safety advisor be appointed throughout the logistics chain, from point of manufacture to airport or seaport loading.
I can foresee this type of regulation becoming international, and we will have to start looking in that direction in this country as well, he says. In the UK already they have found people like retired fire fighters who are highly suited to the position with their training background.
DGM locally offers a wide range of courses in dangerous goods handling, stretching from one-day awareness to six-day advanced courses, and including training of flight crews, warehouse operations and refresher courses for previous pupils.
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