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TRAINING DURING LOCKDOWN
E-LEARNING • DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, FACE-TO-FACE TRAINING IS IMPOSSIBLE. EXIS TECHNOLOGIES OFFERS A NUMBER OF ONLINE ALTERNATIVES THOSE INVOLVED IN the world of the transport of dangerous goods have been just as much affected as anyone else by the disruption that the Coronavirus has caused, both at home and at work. But there is still a requirement for those working in the supply chain or furloughed at home to keep up to date with the transport regulations or to begin their initial training. But all face-to-face classroom training, traditionally the mainstay of the training world, is currently on hold. Those working in the supply chain are now looking for other ways to keep up to date with their training needs: e-learning is certainly one of the options that is available. BRING THE SEA ASHORE Exis Technologies has been offering a range of e-learning courses for the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code
cargo handlers, ship loaders, ship operators and so on. Advanced e-learning courses are provided for dangerous goods safety advisers (DGSAs) and managers, and there is a refresher course for those who have previously taken classroom or online training and need to update their training to cover the latest amendment to the Code. The e-learning courses are updated for each IMDG Code Amendment so the training material is always current. Developed in collaboration with IMO, the courses have now been used by six of the ten largest container shipping lines as part of their global training programmes as well as by many other companies active in the maritime transport chain. The courses are certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV-GL) and by several competent authorities around the world, including the Australian Maritime Safety
since 2010, when the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) made IMDG Code training mandatory for shoreside staff involved in the transport of dangerous goods by sea. The courses are tailored for the different job functions involved, such as booking office staff, consignors, freight forwarders, packers and
Authority (AMSA) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). They are also certified by the Port of Antwerp for companies working within the port. Exis’s IMDG Code e-learning courses are sponsored by the TT Club and supported by the International Cargo Handling Coordination
HCB MONTHLY | MAY 2020
Association (ICHCA International). The courses also assist Exis’s clients using the Hazcheck cargo booking platform to understand how to use the IMDG Code and, therefore, how to use those tools more effectively in their day-to-day dangerous goods roles. The courses can be found at www.imdge-learning.com. “IMO statistics continue to reveal a high level of non-conformities when shipping dangerous goods by sea,” says Peregrine Storrs-Fox, TT Club’s risk management director. “Mandatory shoreside training is key to increasing safety in the marine mode. The TT Club recommends IMDG Code e-learning as high quality, costeffective training for everyone in the supply chain, especially shippers and packers.” “ICHCA is the voice of global cargo handling and through its work is committed to improving the safety, productivity and efficiency of cargo handling and transport in the national and international supply chain across all modes of transport,” adds Capt Richard Brough OBE, director of ICHCA. “We thoroughly endorse and recommend IMDG Code e-learning as an important training tool for addressing, amongst other requirements, the mandatory element of shoreside training and encourage our members to use it accordingly.” CONTAINERS AND TANKS Exis Technologies has also worked with ICHCA International and the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) to produce the CTUpack e-learning course, based on the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code), and on tank container e-learning courses. Both are styled on the lines of the IMDG Code e-learning courses, with similar screens, navigation, learning experience, assessment and course completion certificate. The introduction of the CTU Code, formulated jointly by three UN bodies – IMO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), is internationally approved as a non-mandatory method to improve the problems resulting from poor CTU packing, which causes an alarmingly high number of incidents that lead to damage, loss, injuries and fatalities. CTUpack e-learning has two levels: introduction and foundation. The Introduction course provides and introduction to the
