Emergency Response, Incident Reporting and Safety
Emergency response
Operators must have emergency response procedures and access to emergency response information for the dangerous goods they carry. The ICAO TI includes an Emergency Response Guidance document with drill codes. Crews must know how to identify the hazard from the labels and documentation and how to respond.
Incident reporting
An incident includes a dangerous goods accident (injury or major damage) and a dangerous goods occurrence (a lesser event such as a leak, spill, or undeclared goods). Both must be reported to the operator and, through the operator, to the state authority. Undeclared or misdeclared dangerous goods are a serious occurrence and must be reported.
Safety and the pilot's role
The pilot-in-command must be given written information on dangerous goods on board, including the proper shipping name, class, quantity and stowage location. In an emergency, the pilot may need to use that information to decide on response actions.
Worked example
A package leaks in the cargo hold. The crew identifies the label as Class 8 corrosive. The answer: the crew follows the emergency response procedure for Class 8, isolates the area, and the operator reports the occurrence to the state authority as a dangerous goods occurrence.
Rule of thumb
Identify the hazard from the label and documentation, follow the emergency response procedure, then report. Reporting is mandatory, not discretionary.