Changes in IATA’s new DGR

NEW YEAR, NEW RULES

AIR • A NEW VERSION OF THE IATA DANGEROUS GOODS REGULATIONS ENTERS INTO FORCE ON 1 JANUARY. SHIPPERS SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF SOME POSSIBLY HELPFUL CHANGES

THE INTERNATIONAL AIR Transport Association (IATA) publishes a new edition of its Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) every year, rather than according to the UN’s biennial cycle. IATA says this allows it to address urgent safety issues and any amendments to state and operator variations.

The 61st edition of the DGR, which comes into effect on 1 January 2020, consolidates those amendments agreed by IATA’s Dangerous Goods Board (DGB) over the past year, along with addenda issued by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to the 2019-2020 edition of its Technical Instructions.

The main changes that appear in the 61st edition of the DGR are listed below; readers should be aware that this is not an exhaustive list and, in any case, they will need to purchase their own copy of the new DGR if they are to remain compliant.

SECTION 2 Current provisions in 2.3.2.2, 2.3.5.11 and 2.3.5.12 require compliance with a special provision referenced in those paragraphs. To assist customer service personnel, the relevant text of the special provision has been brought into these paragraphs.

A revision to 2.3.5.1 now allows aerosols in Division 2.2 for sporting or home use to be placed in carry-on baggage as well as checked baggage.

A new paragraph 2.6.7.1.3 has been added, mandating that the excepted quantity mark must be applied on one face of the package.

SECTION 4 Some changes to the List of Dangerous Goods in 4.2 will affect many shippers. Provisions for both UN 2389 Furan and UN 3449 Bromobenzyl cyanides, solid have been aligned with the ICAO text, allowing their carriage on both passenger and cargo only aircraft. In the case of UN 3449, the permitted net quantity per package on passenger aircraft is 5 kg in accordance with packing instruction 666.

Special provision A802 has been assigned to UN 1700 Tear gas candles, reinforcing the requirement that packagings must meet PG II performance standards.

The words “environmentally hazardous substance” are added to Column D against UN 3077 and 3082 to identify that packages must bear the environmentally hazardous substance mark in addition to the Class 9 label,

The dagger symbol has been added against UN 3536 Lithium batteries installed in cargo transport unit, to identify that there is now a glossary entry in Appendix A that provides more information.

SECTION 5 A clarification to 5.0.2.11(c) states that only those dangerous goods permitted by PI 620 may be packed in the same outer packaging with UN 2814 or 2900.

A revision to 5.0.2.11(h) clarifies the exception from the calculation of the Q value where the dangerous goods have the same UN number, packing group and physical state, to include the same net quantity.

For clarity, the single packagings tables in the packing instructions have been reformatted to show the material and type of packaging and their permitted specification codes so as to identify exactly which composite packagings are permitted. There is a consequential amendment in 8.1.6.9.2.

PI650 has been revised to identify that the number of packages shown on the air waybill

does not need to be added to the UN number and proper shipping name when these are the only packages in the consignment. The text that describes the allowance for small quantities of substances in Classes 3, 8 or 9 to be in the primary receptacle has been revised to clarify that these substances must be permitted to be shipped as excepted quantities, not that they must meet the requirements for excepted quantities.

In PI 960 and Y960, text has been added into the combination packagings table to clarify that the net quantity limits per inner packaging only apply where the inner packagings contain dangerous goods, and that the total net quantity of dangerous goods per kit must not exceed 1 litre or 1 kg.

In PI 968 and 970, the term “aggregate lithium content” has been applied to lithium metal batteries to align with the terminology in the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria.

SECTION 7 A revision to 7.1.3.1 specifies that the limited quantity mark, environmentally hazardous substances mark and lithium battery mark, when required, must be applied on one face of the package. Where the marks are applied by means of a label, the label must not be folded or applied such that it appears on different faces of the package.

A sentence has been added to 7.2.4.5 to require that the ‘Keep Away From Heat’ mark is affixed on the same side of the package and close to the hazard label(s).

APPENDICES Appendix A now has definitions for ‘aggregate lithium content’ and ‘lithium batteries installed in cargo transport unit’. The definition of ‘fissile material’ is changed to ‘fissile nuclides’.

There are the usual number of changes to the lists of competent authorities (Appendix D), UN specification packaging suppliers and package testing facilities (Appendix E), and sales agents, IATA-accredited training schools and IATA-authorised training centres (Appendix F).

The guidance material formerly provided in Appendix H on the development and implementation of competency-based training for dangerous goods has been extensively revised following engagement with and input from regulatory authorities, training providers and member airlines. This can now be found in Appendix I.

This new Appendix I also contains other changes that are due to enter into force on 1 January 2021, based on the 21st revised edition of the UN Model Regulations and other amendments already agreed by the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel. These include: • Deregulation of data loggers and cargo tracking devices powered by lithium batteries when those devices are attached to or included in packagings, overpacks or unit load devices and intended for use during transport; • Updates to the provisions for infectious substances to include general information on Category A medical wastes; • The addition to the List of Dangerous

Goods of three new explosives entries (UN 0511 to 0513) and UN 3549 for Category A medical waste; • Revision of the entry for UN 2216 Fish meal, stabilised from ‘forbidden/forbidden’ to be allowed for carriage on both passenger and cargo only aircraft; • A number of new and modified special provisions; • Provisions to allow the lithium battery handling mark to be reduced in size when necessary to a minimum of 100 mm x 70 mm; and • Changes to Section 10 on Radioactive

Materials to reflect the changes adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to SSR-6 (Rev 1) 2018.

The 61st edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations is available now from the usual resellers or direct from IATA. For more information go to https://go.updates.iata.org/ iatapublications2020.

ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE MOVEMENT OF DANGEROUS

GOODS BY AIR NEED TO BE AWARE OF AND HAVE

ACCESS TO THE MOST UP-TO-DATE EDITION OF THE IATA