![\"dangerous](\"https:\/\/www.hazmatuniversity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/How-do-DG-keep-us-safe-e1581519096703.jpg\")
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The working definitions of \u201cdangerous goods\u201d and \u201chazardous materials\u201d are consistent within national and international hazmat transport regulations (including the impressive eloquence of 49 CFR\u2019s legal terminology).\u00a0 To keep it simple, we will refer to IATA\u2019s Subsection 1.0 of their Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA DGR)<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Dangerous goods are articles or substances which are capable of posing a hazard to health, safety, property or the environment and which are shown in the list of dangerous goods in these regulations, or which are classified according to these regulations<\/span><\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 (Thank you for being succinct, IATA!)<\/span><\/p>\n As \u201cclassified\u201d means that the substance or article meets the defined criteria of one or more of the nine hazard classes established by the regulations, that means it presents a hazard significant enough for it to be regulated for transportation purposes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So given that these are regulated as \u201cdangerous goods,\u201d how in the world can they keep us safe and healthy?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Dangerous goods are used so widely and for so many purposes that it is difficult to begin to count the ways that they improve our daily lives.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just name a few that I\u2019ve come across already today since I woke up:<\/span><\/p>\n So how would today have been different without dangerous goods?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Well, without dangerous goods, it would mean:<\/span><\/p>\n That Was Just a Start!<\/span><\/p>\n There are so many other ways that hazardous materials contribute to our safe existence \u2013 consider these:<\/span><\/p>\n This list could go on and on, but you get the idea!\u00a0 And I just named things that people can easily identify with \u2013 there are thousands of substances and articles that are known to be dangerous goods.<\/span><\/p>\n First of all, none of the above \u201chazardous materials\u201d that I personally used today were made by me. All of these dangerous goods were manufactured and assembled with raw materials that may have been obtained from somewhere else. Once assembled, they made their way through the supply chain until they became available for me to purchase.\u00a0 Think about that. In the United States, the DOT\u2019s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) estimates that nearly one million hazmat shipments are transported every day (more than 3.1 billion tons a year!) \u2013 by highway, rail, air, and vessel.<\/span><\/p>\n With these amounts of hazardous raw materials and finished products on the move at any given moment, incidents and accidents have the potential to be catastrophic.\u00a0 An incident involving quantities of dangerous goods transported by highway, rail, aircraft, or vessel can endanger lives, property, and the environment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Just as an example, consider that a fire involving a shipment of hairspray (flammable aerosols)in an aircraft\u2019s cargo-hold presents a radically more dangerous situation than a single can of hairspray exploding when accidentally thrown into a trash fire.<\/span><\/p>\n For these reasons, every hazmat employee, meaning any employee whose job function in any way affects the safe transportation of dangerous goods, must receive appropriate training that is commensurate with their responsibilities.\u00a0 This training is vitally important to ensure that dangerous goods are properly prepared for transportation, transported safely and that their presence is communicated to all concerned entities in the transportation chain.<\/span><\/p>\n If you are a hazmat employee, you are playing a valuable role in more lives than you have probably ever even pondered \u2013 and whatever role you are playing, it is an important one!\u00a0 At <\/span>Hazmat University<\/span><\/a>, we want you to be confident, competent, and compliant in your role, and we offer a wide range of online training options to help you be just that!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Visit HazmatUniversity.com and browse our range of modal, multi-modal and specialized online training offerings that provide time-saving, cost-effective solutions for your hazmat training needs, whether you are shipping hazardous materials subject to U.S. highway regulations (U.S. 49 CFR), air (ICAO\/IATA), or vessel (IMDG\/IMO).\u00a0 Thank you for helping keep all of us safe and healthy!<\/span>Let Me Try to Count the Ways<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Where Does the \u201cDanger\u201d Come In?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u00a0Your Role is Critical and Valuable!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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