Hazmat Breach At LAX

      This past Saturday night eight companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, and a phalanx of other law enforcement types and hazardous materials teams responded to a call for help at the Lufthansa Air Cargo facility located across the street from “Hotel Row” at Aviation and Imperial Highway at LAX. Lufthansa personnel reported that a forklift had punctured a box containing a low-grade radioactive material after it had been off-loaded from an aircraft.
      The box, one of three, was being transferred from one location in the cargo facility to another when the incident occurred at 8:10 p.m.
      The Fire Department and Hazmat specialists were able to safely encapsulate the breached box within another container, rendering the incident static.
      LA Fire Department officials evaluated 31 workers in the area, who were non-symptomatic and reportedly showed no signs of contamination. All were released.
      No aircraft were in the immediate area at the time of the incident. Los Angeles County Hazmat assumed the lead in the removal of the breached container. There were no other reports of injuries.
      The incident however brings to the forefront possible hazardous goings on daily in air cargo terminals at various world locations and with that revelation some question of possible latent danger confronting air cargo industry people.
      Although according to news reports a worst case scenario was avoided at LAX due in no small part to apparent fast action by Lufthansa and first responders, navigating the complex world of Hazmat rules and regulations in the post 9/11 world is no walk in the park.
      Dangerous Goods shipping in fact was center stage recently as USA lawmakers put the finishing touches on the Aviation Security Act of 2007.
      In a lengthy report on Air Cargo Security prepared for U.S. lawmakers that was updated July 30, 2007 and presented to the U.S. Congress as that body prepared to vote on various security mandates, Bart Elias, specialist in aviation security, safety, and technology Congressional Research Service noted:
      “The air cargo system is vulnerable to several security threats including potential plots to place explosives aboard aircraft; illegal shipments of hazardous materials; criminal activities such as smuggling and theft; and potential hijackings and sabotage by persons with access to aircraft.
      “Despite increased Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) oversight and enforcement efforts, undeclared and undetected shipments of hazardous materials continues to pose a significant safety problem for air carriers.
      “Most explosives and gases are prohibited aboard aircraft, however many properly handled hazardous materials are permitted aboard passenger and all-cargo aircraft within specified quantity limitations.
      “Risks are introduced when hazardous materials are not declared leading to the potential transport of prohibited materials by air or improper handling of hazardous goods during loading and while in transit.
      “The dangers of undetected and improperly handled hazardous materials in air cargo shipments were highlighted by the May 11, 1996 crash of a ValuJet DC-9 in the Florida Everglades.
      “The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that improperly carried oxygen generators ignited an intense fire in one of the airplane’s cargo holds leading to the crash and issued several safety recommendations for improving the handling and tracking of hazardous materials to prevent improper carriage aboard passenger aircraft.
      “While safety concerns regarding hazardous cargo shipments aboard passenger aircraft are of particular concern, preventing unauthorized shipments of hazardous materials is a challenge for all-cargo aircraft operators as well.
      “About 75% of hazardous materials shipped by aircraft are carried aboard all-cargo aircraft, while the remaining 25% is shipped on passenger aircraft.
      “Enhanced air cargo security measures may also improve air cargo safety by increasing the detection of undeclared hazardous materials.”
      But while the exact language and law may be of some conjecture depending on who it is making the case, almost no one doubts that step one for better handling of Hazmat lies in the speed and accuracy of getting the word out to all forms of transportation of just what safe, effective Hazmat procedure includes.
      Here are a couple of excellent resources that offer both live training and also up to date information as well as opportunity to carry the vital subject of Hazmat forward in the general air cargo dialogue.
      The Dangerous Goods Advisory Council (DGAC), is Washington-based, formed in 1978 as a non-profit educational group dedicated to the promotion of the safe transportation of hazardous materials/dangerous goods.
      Scheduled to hold its 29th Annual Conference and Hazardous Materials Transportation Exposition on November 14-16 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, DGAC also conducts three-day training courses including two sessions offered during Autumn 2007.
      “Preparing Hazardous Materials for Transportation by Aircraft,” an introductory-level course covers basic skills needed to prepare, offer and accept shipments of dangerous goods for transportation by aircraft and related motor vehicle transportation.
      The course is offered in Houston, Texas September 5-7 Houston, Texas and also in Las Vegas, Nevada November 6-8. The DGAC course meets applicable requirements for initial and recurrent training.
      Registration fee: $675.00 ($595.00 DGAC members). More info: www.hmac.org.
     The IATA Dangerous Goods Board (DGB) is comprised of a dozen members who each serve a four-year term meeting with each other to think big thoughts, update and bring issues to the fore twice yearly.
     David Brennan, IATA’s Assistant Director, Special Cargo Standards chairs the group. E-mail: brennand@iata.org
     IATA also publishes Dangerous Goods Regulations Manual (DGR) offering a wide range of solutions for shipping dangerous goods.
     “If you’re a Logistics professional who ships dangerous goods by air, you want to avoid penalties and fines as well as make sure your shipments arrive safely and on time,” IATA says.
     The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) Guide also tells shippers what is new for 2008.
     Now at $211USD even more user-friendly, DGR is available in book, CD ROM or Compliance Kit format. More: www.iata.org/dgr
Geoffrey