The Dangerous Goods Office is a part of “Flight Operations Inspectorate Department”, which is itself a part of the Flight Operations Department of the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. It is staffed by six people; four “authorised” inspectors (including the Head of Office), an Operations Support Officer (OSO) and an Administrative Officer (AO).
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) produces Standards and Recommended Practices in various areas of aviation to facilitate the international movement of civil aircraft. These are contained in Annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (usually known as the Chicago Convention). Annex 18 to the Convention deals with the "Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air"; in general it sets down broad principles. It also places a number of responsibilities on "Contracting States", which are most of the countries of the world; these are:·
The Technical Instructions contain detailed provisions, which include requiring that the training programmes for operators (airlines) be approved by the State where the aircraft of an operator are registered.
There is no Contracting State that has registered a total disagreement with Annex 18; in the UK the principles have been incorporated into the Air Navigation (Dangerous Goods) Regulations. These apply to everyone who may be involved in putting or taking dangerous goods on an aircraft; ie: shippers, freight agents, handling agents, operators, passengers etc. They require that dangerous goods be carried according to the Technical Instructions and that an operator must hold a permission to carry dangerous goods. Permissions are granted by the Dangerous Goods Office to UK operators following a thorough audit of procedures, training and staff instructions. Permissions are also granted to non-UK operators, usually on the basis of their being an equivalent permission/approval granted by the competent authority of the State of the operator.
The Dangerous Goods Office carries out inspections and has a scheme for the recording and investigation of incidents, as required by Annex 18. Regarding inspections, the four authorised Inspectors carry out inspections to check for compliance with all the requirements of the Technical Instructions. Audit style inspections are carried out on operators and their handling agents with a view to assessing whether adequate procedures and training are in place to ensure compliance with the operators responsibilities of the Technical Instructions. Inspections are also carried out in freight sheds/warehouses, on the ramp and in airport terminals; they are to check on packages and documents, procedures for handling dangerous goods, the state of training for those involved and the provision of adequate notices at cargo acceptance points and passenger check-in areas.
The Inspectors are empowered to seize packages of dangerous goods if there are reasonable grounds to suspect a consignment does not comply with all applicable requirements.
Regarding the recording and investigation of incidents, approximately 400 incident reports are received each year in the UK and the Dangerous Goods Office maintains a database of such incidents. Many incidents are of a minor nature and do not warrant investigation; these are usually dealt with by letter. Sometimes there is insufficient information to enable further action to be taken. Sometimes, if an incident arises with imported dangerous goods, there is little action that can be taken if the offence originated outside the UK; in these circumstances, all available evidence is determined with a view to informing the originating State so that action can be taken there. When an incident is judged to be sufficiently serious to warrant a formal investigation this is carried out by an Investigation Officer from the CAA Legal Department, in liaison with the Dangerous Goods Office. On completion of the investigation, all the evidence is considered and a decision made as to whether or not to prosecute the alleged offender. In the event of a prosecution, an offender can be fined up to £5000 per contravention in a Magistrates Court. If there is a Crown Court trial, the penalty can be an unlimited fine or up to two years imprisonment or both.
