General Hazmat Knowledge - Hazardous Material Transportation

1. development of percentages for criteria you select.

The International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) and the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) have set rules regarding the transportation of dangerous goods by air for all nations to follow.  From March 2000 to February 2003, the FAA was required to release fines that were greater than $50,000 involving illegal transport of hazardous material. The total amount of fines issued in that timeframe reached $12.3 million. Of the 125 fines stated, 86% ranged from $50,000 - $100,000, while 14% were over $100,000. When looking at the shipping company associated with hazardous shipment, FedEx is mentioned 28% of time, but UPS steals the show with a staggering 47%. These undeclared shipments were plagued with 70% being shipped via a fiberboard box.

1.  Analysis of company owned material (COMAT) when it is shipped in the Airline industry and its supporting contractors.

DOT Hazardous Material Regulations as well as international regulations from the ICAO and IATA regulate Air Carrier Company Materials (COMAT). There were 17 instances involving COMAT out of the 125 fines, and 13 of the 17, or 76%, were related to oxygen generators. The most common items are chemicals, oxygen generators, fuels, unpurged parts, batteries and  fire extinguishers, (U.S. DOT, 2000). 

1.  The training issues raised by this list. We know that the right training is not going to the right people so come up with explanations and/or solutions (not fines and threats of jail time).

Training issues can be seen throughout the fines. The biggest that I saw were the employees  that are handling the frontlines of FedEx, UPS, and major airline carriers. They are accepting cargo without knowing the content fully. Packages should be opened to verify contents of hazardous material and ensuring that it is package properly. Mistakes were made shipping hazardous cargo on airlines with passengers.  Those companies should also consider a course training on how to package hazardous materials for transport. Standards for approved shipping containers should also be considered by the FAA.