ICC Teaches A Dangerous Goods Course in Europe

Going to Switzerland!

This September, ICC was offered an interesting opportunity – presenting a class on North American hazardous materials regulations in Switzerland! So, I gathered my passport and computer, and set off for Europe.

The course was organized by SAFETY Training Plus GmbH, a well-known provider of dangerous goods training in Germany and Switzerland. However, SAFETY Training Plus found that many of its customers were looking for help with shipments to North America. Although European and North American regulations are usually based on the UN Recommendations for the Transport of Dangerous Goods (better known as the Orange Book based on its cover), a number of variations still exist between the various countries and regions.

For example, a European shipper to the United States might be puzzled about why a product not classified as an environmental hazard under the EU regulations (ADR/RID) or the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG) for ocean would have to be treated as such for entry into the U.S. Surprise! It’s the Hazardous Substance rule, involving a list of over a thousand chemicals that are classified as environmentally hazardous in Title 49, U.S. Code of Regulations (49 CFR). Another shipment may hit a snag entering Canada due to Canada’s requirement for an Emergency Response Assistance Plan. This requirement usually applies to high-risk goods in large means of containment, but may sometimes affect smaller materials with special hazards.

Working Together

Working together, ICC and SAFETY Training Plus came up with a course tailored to the needs of the European dangerous goods professional who understood how the regulations worked in Europe, but needed to familiarize themselves with North American variations. About two dozen participants took part in the town of Reinach, on the outskirts of the historic city of Basel, and “enjoyed” three days of delving into the mysteries of the 49 CFR and Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act and Regulations (TDG). We received a lot of very positive feedback, and we hope that we can work more with SAFETY Training Plus in future.

From a personal standpoint, I really enjoyed the stunning scenery (checked out the local castle). Swiss cooking is delicious (not to mention the chocolate for snacking) and the people are always ready to help a tourist bewildered by her new surroundings. Thanks to SAFETY Training Plus for the opportunity to work with our European counterparts and share the knowledge we all need to make today’s global economy run efficiently. Particularly I’d like to thank them for their hospitality and suggest that if you’re looking for training in Europe you check out their website at http://safetytrainingplus.com .

Do you have questions about international transport of dangerous goods? Our regulatory staff here at ICC  Compliance Center at 1-888-442-9628 (USA) or 1-888-977-4483 (Canada) will be happy to help you with all your training, packaging and labelling needs.