Guidelines for training criteria

TP 9554E
Volume 1
Alternative format

The following guidelines are meant to help understand the training requirements in Part 6 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, and not replace them.

These guidelines recognize that it is the employer who must determine if training is required in order for an employee to be a trained person. The guidelines indicate what Parts of the regulations should be included in a person's specific training.

Employers must issue a Training Certificate to employees who are adequately trained. An example of a Training Certificate can be found at the end of this Advisory Notice.

Self-employed individuals must also determine if they are adequately trained and issue themselves a training certificate.

Things to Remember:

Employees who are not trained can handle, offer for transport, and transport dangerous goods as long as they are doing so under the direct supervision of a trained person.

Some employees may only need training in the aspects of the regulations that are directly related to their work. A highway tank driver who only transports Class 3 products, for example, may only need specific training in relation to the transportation of Class 3 dangerous goods. In this situation, it is the employers' responsibility to determine what constitutes adequate training for their employees.

There may be some job functions that do not fall into any of the specific categories for which training has been identified as being required, yet some training may still be necessary. For example, the classification of a company's goods and products may be a job function in which the employee does not handle, offer for transport, or transport dangerous goods, but merely works with hard data that has been gathered on dangerous goods. Training on classification would be required in this case.

How to train employees is not mentioned in the Regulations. Training may be done through a combination of formal “in-class” training, on-the-job training, and extensive work experience. It is up to the employer to decide. A list of organizations offering Transportation of Dangerous Goods training is available on the TDG Web site on the TDG Training page

Using the Guidelines

The guidelines are identified as A, B, C and D. The training guidelines for all persons involved in the handling, offering for transport, and/or transporting of dangerous goods are described in Guideline “A”. This basic training is needed before moving on to the other specific groups as described in Guidelines “B”, “C”, and “D”.

Guideline “A”: Training for all persons involved in the handling, offering for transport and/or transporting of dangerous goods

Training Required:

1. Definition of the nine classes of dangerous goods and their associated hazards;
2. Shipping names, classes, UN numbers and packing groups for the dangerous goods that are normally encountered on the job;
3. Safety marks such as labels and placards that are used to identify the different classes of dangerous goods that are normally encountered on the job;
4. Knowledge of the information that must be on a shipping document;
5. The requirements regarding mixed loads and the need for segregation of incompatible dangerous goods;
6. The proper selection and use of means of containment for the dangerous goods;
7. What to do if the shipping documents, placards, labels, other safety marks or means of containment seem inadequate or incorrect;
8. What constitutes an accidental release and the reporting requirements if an accident happens;
9. Proper use of all equipment that is used in the handling, offering for transport and/or transportation of dangerous goods;
10. Emergency Response Assistance Plans (ERAP) requirements if a plan is required.

Guideline “B”: Additional training for all persons involved in the handling of dangerous goods

Handling Means:

Loading, unloading, packing or unpacking dangerous goods in a means of containment or transport for the purposes of, in the course of or following transportation, and includes storing them in the course of transportation.

Examples of a Person Handling Dangerous Goods:

Cargo Handler
Lift Truck Operator
Dock Worker
Loader/Unloader
Receiver/Shipper
Towmotor Operator
Freight Handler
Warehouse Operator
Shipper

Training Required:

1. Types of placards, labels, signs, numbers and other safety marks, what they mean, and when and where to display them;
2. A thorough knowledge of the control and emergency features for all handling equipment used in the day-to-day activities of the job;
3. Safe practices on the loading and stowage of dangerous goods;
4. When to remove placards, UN numbers and other safety marks;
5. The proper selection and use of means of containment for the dangerous goods.

Guideline “C”: Additional training for all persons involved in the offering for transport of dangerous goods

Offering for Transport means:

For dangerous goods not in transport, to select or to allow the selection of a carrier to transport dangerous goods; to prepare or allow the preparation of dangerous goods so that a carrier can take possession of them for transport.

Examples of Those Who Offer For Transport:

Dispatcher
Clerical personnel (i.e. preparation of documents)
Shipper
Freight Forwarder
Biller

Training Required:

1. All of the requirements required for documentation except for the location and the rail consist;
2. How to communicate the special instructions and precautions for the handling and/or transporting of specific dangerous goods while on the job;
3. Types of placards, labels, signs, numbers and other safety marks, what they mean, and when and where to display them;
4. The proper selection and use of means of containment for the dangerous goods;
5. The Emergency Response Assistance Plan requirements (ERAP) if a plan is required.

Guideline “D”: Additional training for all persons involved in the transporting of dangerous goods

A person Who is Transporting Dangerous Goods means:

The person who has possession of the dangerous goods while they are in transport.

Training Required:

1. Types of placards, labels, signs, numbers and other safety marks, what they mean, and when and where to display them;
2. The location of the shipping documents and the importance of keeping them accurate;
3. Requirements for parking, loading and vehicule inspection which may apply.

Example of a Training Certificate:

Front:

Back:

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