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title: 'Unlocking Safety Excellence: A Guide to Dangerous Goods Function-Specific Training'

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The **[statistics that the US Department of Transport](https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/analytics/saw.dll?Portalpages&PortalPath=%2Fshared%2FPublic%20Website%20Pages%2F_portal%2F10%20Year%20Incident%20Summary%20Reports)** offers say that the total of incidents involving dangerous goods with all modes of transport taken into consideration rose from 11,598 in 2013 to 25,154 in 2022. That has more than doubled in less than a decade. These numbers are serious and should not be overlooked. 

According to the **[Federal Aviation Administration](https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/what_is_hazmat)** "Dangerous goods, also known as hazardous materials or hazmats, are defined as a substance or material that is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported for commerce." 

Companies working with such goods and materials are already giving special attention to safety. Including training on the topic is probably the most basic and most important thing they can do. So if you are one of the businesses that are concerned with this issue, keep on reading as we're giving you the best reasons why you should unlock your safety excellence and a complete guide on how to do it through training.


**How can you benefit from dangerous goods function specific training?**
 
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The benefits of incorporating **[Dangerous Goods Function Specific Training](https://coggno.com/online-training/transportation-courses/air-transportation-icao-iata/dangerous-goods-function-specific-training-and-assessment-for-shippers-by-air-icao-iata-edition-64)** in your company's upskilling program are numerous. It's quite self-explanatory that thorough and comprehensive training is the initial step to be taken in upgrading your company's safety. Some of the most obvious and most important benefits of this training are the following:

➢	It provides the basis for safety compliance in your company
➢	It reduces and minimizes the window for legal compliance issues
➢	It ensures risk management
➢	It goes hand in hand with your emergency response plan
➢	It strengthens your company's reputation and professionalism
➢	It leaves you with certified professionals in your organization

All of these benefits can be applied to various types of businesses as long as they entail dangerous goods. It's indisputable that the advantages are many and that any serious company should take upon this type of training for their employees.

**Important aspects of implementing dangerous goods training**

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Before you embark upon your training journey you need to take some factors into consideration if you want to achieve maximum results and the training to be a success. These are some of the most important aspects when considering dangerous goods function specific training:

➔	**Legal compliance** 
When working with a sensitive topic such as dangerous goods and hazardous materials complying with laws and regulations should be your top priority. Depending on your company and the type of business you own you might need to comply with national, international, or foreign legislation. Be well acquainted with the laws that bridge your work and make sure that regulatory compliance is an important and integral part of the training. 

➔	**Target your needs and the desired outcome**
The initial phase of implementing this training is targeting and identifying the needs that your company has. Also, you need to select the employees who should go through the training. Those employees are most likely the ones currently working with dangerous goods and potential ones who might be concerned with the issue in the future. Have in mind what you want to achieve with this training and what kind of change you want to see in the chosen employees.

➔	**Make sure the training includes the classification of dangerous goods**
 
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It's very important that trainees get a general idea of what types of dangerous goods are there and they are equipped with basic knowledge of all of them not only the ones that they have to work with. The most general classification would be into: 
➢	Gasses
➢	Explosives
➢	Flammable liquids & solids
➢	Corrosives
➢	Radioactive
It's also important to work on the difference between dangerous goods and **[hazardous materials](https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications-and-media/Blogs-Landing-Page/NFPA-Today/Blog-Posts/2022/04/15/What-is-Hazardous-Material)** as well as the different ways they should be handled.

➔	**Include Good Documentation Practices in the training** 
A big aspect of this field and one that is closely connected to regulatory compliance is the proper completion of paperwork. Knowing how to accurately and efficiently fill in documents, shipping papers, and forms is a skill that needs to be addressed in a training of this kind. 

Don't expect that employees will automatically figure out documents and don't take their **[good documentation practices](https://about.citiprogram.org/course/good-documentation-practices-gdp/)** for granted. Make sure that they go through the best practices in the training and they're all on the same page. This will lead to consistency and it will minimize errors. It will also create the opportunity for employees to check each other's documentation. The most important aspect of proper documentation is avoiding legal issues and disputes. 

➔	**Certification and upskilling**
 
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All the effort and hard work should end in a fruitful way, having a brief assessment of the knowledge and awarding the employees who've successfully completed the training a certificate which will hold them accountable for future tasks they might be given. Trainees should be informed about the benefits and responsibilities a certification of this kind brings.

Keep in mind that the training should not be a one-time thing. Think of it more as a long-term investment. There should be regular recertification or refreshing of the knowledge. Trainees should also be kept on track with all the latest developments in the field and with legal compliance especially.  
Over to you
We hope that this guide we've put up for you will get you thinking about the importance of dangerous goods function specific training for your business. We hope that with the help of this article, you can see the benefits of this training and the upgrades it can bring to your business. We've provided you with the basic principles on how and why to go about it. 

Keep in mind that this is only one step of your employees' upskilling and life-long learning you should as a company aspire to. 

**Writer’s bio:**

![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/Hy6kS0I-T.png)


 
Iskra Stojanovska has been an English teacher for more than 13 years now. She is also a freelance translator, interpreter, and university professor for both. She’s currently looking for a career change and other ways in which she can make use of her knowledge of English.
Content writing is a definite choice.



