Anyone who transports dangerous goods (aka: hazardous materials or HazMat in the U.S.) must be aware of the latest news from the Canadian government’s Transport Canada.  One way to do this is to subscribe to the Transport Dangerous Goods Newsletter.

Before you subscribe you might be interested in checking out the TDG Newsletter for the first quarter of 2015.  I honestly don’t know how often they publish this thing, it doesn’t seem regular at all – unlike my monthly newsletter which appears every month predictable as a gas bill.  It’s not quarterly or anything.  I think they just publish it when they feel they have enough stuff to justify a newsletter.

Curious about what you’ll find inside?

• Word from the Director General
• Recent Changes in the TDG Directorate
• Spring 2013 TDG Newsletter Survey – Thank you for participating!
• Transportation of Dangerous Goods Research – What’s New?
• Implementing Lean Management in the Transport Dangerous Goods Directorate
• Association Québécoise du Propane – Annual Training for Emergency Response Advisors
• Protective Directions Issued by the Transport Dangerous Goods Directorate
• Lithium Batteries Are Dangerous Goods
• Transport Canada’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Response Program Update
• Petroleum Crude Oil Transloading Facilities in Western Canada
• Dealing with sodium chlorate at a derailment site
• Reportable Accidents across Canada in 2012 and 2013
• CANUTEC Communication System – Canada’s New Safety Hotline for the Transportation of Dangerous Goods
• Raising CANUTEC Awareness in Salmon Arm, British Columbia
• Two amendments to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations
• Contacts

Are the regulations of TDG Canada that different from PHMSA/USDOT?  Not really.  As a matter of fact, our two great nations have a reciprocal compliance agreement for the transportation of dangerous goods between the U.S. and Canada by highway or rail.  In short, compliance with the regulations of one country is accepted as compliance with the regulations of the other (with a few exceptions).  Read here for more:  Transportation of Dangerous Goods Between U.S. and Canada.

If you ship, receive, or transport dangerous goods from, to, or within Canada, then you must provide training for your employees engaged in regulated functions, e.g. preparing shipping papers; filling, closing, or loading (and unloading) packages; applying labels, markings, or placards; supervising employees engaged in these functions; and more!  Contact me for the training you need to remain compliant.

The Dangerous Goods Regulations of the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) are the standards used by most of the airline industry throughout the world.  If you intend to ship hazardous materials (aka: Dangerous Goods), either domestically (within the US) or internationally by air, you will likely be required to comply with the IATA DGR.  A challenge to compliance is that it is updated annually; therefore the 54th Edition, in use in 2013, is no longer acceptable for compliance in 2014.  So, throw out your 2013 version of the International Air Transportation Association Dangerous Goods Regulations and replace it with the 55th Edition.  Each new Edition includes changes from the previous, and it is up to you to ensure you are in compliance with the latest Edition.  The purpose of this article is to summarize the main changes to the 2014 IATA DGR and direct you to a more thorough evaluation of the changes. (more…)

If you are involved with the transportation of hazardous materials/dangerous goods between the US and Canada or just interested in our neighbor to the north, you should be aware of the Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) of Transport Canada.  One way to maintain an awareness-level knowledge of the status of transportation regulations north of the border is to subscribe to the TDG Newsletter. (more…)

Persons responsible for the safe transportation of hazardous materials within the U.S., known as HazMat Employees, must receive the training required by the US DOT at 49 CFR 172, Subpart H.  If you only ship hazardous materials domestically, by highway or rail, then this is the only training necessary.

The transportation of HazMat in Canada – known there as dangerous goods – is subject to the regulations of Transport Canada:  The Canadian Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations.  Transport Canada has similar training requirements to those of the US DOT for all persons involved in the handling, offering for transport and/or transporting of dangerous goods.  With a few exceptions for differences between the two country’s regulations (see below); both the US DOT @ 171.12 and Transport Canada generally accept compliance with the other’s regulations for transport by highway or rail between the two countries.

This acceptance extends to the allowance of training completed per the regulations of one country (either the US or Canada) to meet the training requirements of the other for the transportation of HazMat/dangerous goods by highway or rail.  In other words, HazMat Employees trained and tested per the requirements of the US DOT may handle, offer for transport, or transport a HazMat/dangerous good into, from, and/or through Canada by highway or rail.  Conversely, a person trained according to the requirements of Transport Canada’s regulations may handle, offer for transport, or transport a HazMat/dangerous good into, from, and/or through the US by highway or rail.  This guidance document from Transport Canada explains their side of this agreement (RDIMS #5907129, June 2010).

Regardless of the understanding between the two countries (limited only to shipments by highway or rail), as the shipper of a hazardous material/dangerous good, it is your responsibility to ensure your compliance with the regulations of the respective national agency.  Below are a few situations where compliance with one nation’s regulations will not suffice for the requirements of the other:

• A hazardous material/dangerous good forbidden by one country but not by the other.
• A hazardous material/dangerous good regulated by one country but not by the other.
• The hazardous material/dangerous good is transported under an exception to the regulations recognized by one country but not the other.
• Other differences in the regulations.  Example:  The Class 9 placard is required to be used in Canada if applicable, but is not required to be used in the US under any circumstances.

Also please note that an agreement of accepting compliance with another country’s regulations for transportation within another does not exist between the US and Mexico.

Determination of compliance with the regulations, both domestic and international, is your responsibility as the shipper of a hazardous material/dangerous good.  As a HazMat Employer you must also ensure your HazMat Employees are properly trained.  My training will not only meet the regulatory requirements, but it will give you the tools you need to ensure compliance with the regulations, no matter the destination of your hazardous materials.