Hidden Dangerous Goods

Some dangerous goods are not easy to identify. Sometimes cargo declared under a general description contains unapparent dangerous goods. Or, passengers may attempt to carry such goods in their baggage, either knowingly or unknowingly. In these circumstances the hazardous articles are not apparent and are referred to as hidden dangerous goods. They are covered in DGR 2.2.

Cargo acceptance personnel must be adequately trained to identify and detect dangerous goods presented as general cargo or hidden in passenger baggage. Staff may be alerted by fumes, odors, smoke, noises, stained or wet packages, or information written on the package. If cargo acceptance personnel suspect that cargo or baggage might contain dangerous goods, they should seek confirmation from shippers or passengers regarding the contents of any item.

Certain commodities often include dangerous goods. Some examples of these items are auto parts, company materials (COMAT), electrical equipment, household goods, media equipment, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, and tool boxes. When shippers offer packages containing these types of goods, they must check the consignment against the class definitions and special provisions of the DGR and confirm that no part of these goods is dangerous by marking the Air Waybill as "Not Restricted."

Freight forwarders, ground handling agents, and operators must also be familiar with diamond-shaped GHSpictograms because their presence on packages may indicate the presence of dangerous goods. While some GHS pictograms identify substances that only pose a hazard for supply and use, other pictograms include symbols that are equivalent to the symbols used in hazard labels for transport and, therefore, may be classified as dangerous goods.

To learn more about Function Specific topics for Shippers, Packers, Freight Forwarders visit our IATA DGR Shippers, Packers & Freight Forwarders Online Training web page.