Your Guide To IATA Training

Did you know that in 2020 there were almost 1,500 air-related hazardous material incidences, including two injuries? IATA training helps workers and businesses implement safety precautions.

These precautions are specific to hazardous material transportation by air. Since IATA encompasses dozens of airlines and countries, it is crucial that you remain up to speed with the latest regulations.

Being non-compliant can result in fines and bans. Online training courses can help you and your employees practice the safe handling of dangerous goods. It helps keep other workers, passengers, and the environment from being exposed to hazardous substances.

Luckily, we have put together a complete guide for you. We will go over what IATA is, which training courses you will need, and how to get started today, so keep reading for more information! 

What Is IATA?

IATA is an acronym that stands for the International Air Transport Association. This international airline agency works closely with government agencies. They also team up with international organizations and other authorities. Their primary goal is to help regulate air traffic guidelines.

The organization is responsible for the transportation of many types of goods and products. Guidelines span smarter aviation, passenger protocols, and air traffic safety. These can include things such as what is allowed on planes and across borders.

Updated policies and procedures keep employees, consumers, and businesses safe. One way they do this is through training requirements. It is important that businesses remain up-to-date.

Cargo security and local governments are critical to air traffic safety. Smarter border safety manages hazardous materials and transport without harming the public.

What Are Hazardous Materials?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has outlined examples of dangerous goods transported by air. They include nine different classes. Some examples of hazardous materials are:

• Explosives
• Gases
• Flammable liquids
• Organic peroxide
• Infectious substances
• Radioactive materials
• Corrosives
• Lithium batteries

There are three main types of goods transportation: air, ground, and rail. Air transport can pose a risk for passengers, crew members, and eventually ground transport.

Risks of Undeclared Goods

When dangerous goods are not identified, it poses a significant health risk. Hazardous materials must have accurate labels that alert employees on how to handle them properly. Here are some examples of undeclared goods:

• Missing shipping papers
• Missing declarations
• Missing markings
• Missing labels
• Improper communication

Undeclared goods can put many people's lives at risk. It also poses problems for the environment and other properties.

For example, when hazardous materials are appropriately marked, employees can separate reactive chemicals. They can also implement emergency response procedures if needed. One of the main reasons undeclared goods occur is because lack of knowledge and training.

IATA Training

IATA training courses are for employees who work in the aviation industry. They must have exposure to dangerous goods during:

• Packing
• Marking
• Labeling
• Shipping
• Loading
• Transporting
• Accepting

Improper or inadequate training can lead to transit incidences. You also have increased for:

• Rejected shipments
• Civil penalties
• Carrier blacklisting

You can complete certification through online training courses. These courses help educate you on awareness, familiarization, and job-specific functions. At Compliance Training Online, we offer 17 different IATA training courses.

It covers all classes of hazardous materials. The online courses also have comprehensive dangerous goods courses for UPS and FedEx requirements.

IATA DGR Course

The IATA DGR course covers:

• Shipper and operator responsibilities
• Methods of identification
• Proper documentation
• Packaging
• Marking
• Labeling
• Handling
• Loading

If any employee is involved with exposure to dangerous or hazardous goods at any point during this process, they are required to complete these courses. Some examples of workers who qualify for this course are:

• Airline acceptance staff
• Shippers and packers
• Freight forwarders
• Cargo training specialists
• Ground handling staff
• Compliance specialists
• Operations managers
• Security screeners

Course certifications must be obtained before an employee starts working. The benefit of this course over others is it provides training on all classes of hazardous materials transported by air. Employees and employers are required to purchase the IATA DGR Manual.

This manual must be present during day-to-day work tasks and at the time of the course. The minimum time requirement for this course is six hours. By choosing online courses, employees have the flexibility of taking longer and bookmarking their progress.

After two years or 24 months, you must take a recertification or refresher course. Any airline carrier under IATA can refuse shipments if certification is not kept up to date.

IATA DGR Refresher

The IATA DGR Refresher online course is only for those who have completed initial training requirements. This course will review some basic concepts, including:

• Updated IATA regulations
• Responsibilities
• Loading, marking, labeling
• Case studies
• And more

The minimum time to complete the refresher course is two hours. Like the initial training, anyone can stop and start during the course and bookmark their progress.

Function Specific IATA Courses

In addition to comprehensive training, there are also function-specific courses such as cabin crew, security, and passenger handling. Other IATA task-specific jobs include cargo acceptance, flight crew, warehouse, and much more.

How do these courses differ? Let's look at employees who work as cabin crew members, passenger handling, or security screening personnel.

An employee must provide identification that they work under these tasks. The course will cover more detailed information about hazardous materials they might encounter and information regarding:

• Limitations
• Marking and labeling
• Recognizing undeclared goods

The course is shorter than the IATA DGR comprehensive one and includes a minimum of two hours.

Find Online Training Courses Today

IATA training is required for all airline and aviation members. It even includes personnel who handle shipments but work in warehouses or ground transport.

Choosing to complete courses online gives you and your employees better flexibility to complete them on your timetable. At Compliance Training Online, our IATA training courses strictly follow IATA guidelines and certification requirements.

Rather than risk hefty fines from training violations, check out our website for a complete list of HAZMAT training courses and get started today!