Cargo Acceptance

Acceptance staff must be adequately trained to assist in the identification and detection of dangerous goods presented as general cargo. Operators must provide acceptance staff with general descriptions often used for items that may contain dangerous goods and other dangerous goods item indicators, such as warnings or labels. Cargo acceptance staff must ensure that the shipper has complied with the declaration requirements for articles, and seek confirmation if they have any suspicions that cargo may contain undeclared dangerous goods.

Cargo acceptance personnel must also be vigilant for marking or labeling on packages that may indicate hidden or dangerous goods.

Dangerous goods acceptance specialists must process dangerous goods shipments when they are received by using an acceptance checklist to ensure that the shipment is in compliance with the requirements of the DGR. Operators are required to use checklists to ensure the correct acceptance or rejection of a shipment. If the operator has a policy of not accepting dangerous goods for transportation, then the shipments must be refused and handed back to the shipper.

Sample checklists are provided in the DGR and can be used for the acceptance of dangerous goods by qualified dangerous goods acceptance personnel.

If a package bears a consumer product warning symbol or a consumer hazard label, cargo acceptance staff should seek clarification from the shipper as to its classification before labeling it as "Not Restricted." Clarification should be sought through a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) or other technical specification.

When there is an irrelevant label, such as a package with a hazard label that contains only clothing, the correct course of action would be to ask the passenger or shipper to remove the label to avoid potential confusion. If the package did contain corrosive material at some point, the passenger or shipper should be advised not to carry it as checked or carry-on baggage but as cargo for transport, provided the proper documents and requirements are met.

To learn more about Cargo Acceptance visit our IATA DGR Cargo Acceptance Online Training web page.