IMDG Code 2018 Edition – Compliance

Only a few months and the IMDG Code 2018 Edition (incl. Amendment 39-18) comes into force. This will happen on 1 January 2020 for two years. The 2018 edition could already be voluntarily applied as from 1 January 2019.

If your current IMDG training certificate is showing IMDG 2016 edition (incl. Amendment 38-16), then you will have to undertake your refresher training before the 1st of January 2020 to be able to undertake the following activities by shore based personnel:
– Packing of dangerous goods, including those that supervise the packing of Cargo Transport Units
– Marking, labelling or placarding of dangerous goods; and
– Preparing and signing transport documentation; both shipper and container packing declarations

We regularly are confronted with shippers who pack their own containers and DGM Australia is called in to provide the MO41 dangerous goods document. The fact that DGM Australia is contacted to provide the MO41 lets us to believe that the shipper’s personnel is not trained and certified to pack the container and sign off on the container packing declaration. If they were trained and certified for the current IMDG code to handle dangerous goods they should be able to draft and sign the MO41 themselves. DGM Australia will assist those shippers by supervising the packing of the container(s) to ensure compliance, however with the amount of containers packed by shippers it can only be expected that a substantial number of containers are packed without current training and certification in place.

To become or remain compliant please contact DGM Australia – www.dgm-australia.com.au