... because your customers may not know the rules.

Photo: iStock/chameleoneyes

Incidents of lithium batteries overheating, smoking, and catching fire on aircraft are increasing globally.

Testing by the US Federal Aviation Administration shows that if a lithium battery-powered device catches fire in cargo, aircraft fire protection systems may be unable to contain the blaze.

It’s critical for freight forwarders and handling agents to know exactly what’s in every shipment before it reaches the aircraft.

Most commercial shipments of lithium batteries are transported safely and compliantly.

However, issues can arise when members of the public want to ship everyday items – without realising the dangers of lithium batteries.

The batteries may be shipped on their own, packed with equipment, or contained inside equipment – and the shipment description might not make that obvious.

Look beyond the description

Watch for wording such as ‘electronics’, ‘equipment’, ‘parts’, ‘samples’, and ‘accessories’. They should be a trigger for you to get more information about what’s inside.

That means your people may need to dig beyond the paperwork, ask questions when descriptions are unclear, and make sure dangerous goods requirements have been identified and met before the shipment moves any further. This could mean repackaging, re-labelling, or formally declaring the package as dangerous goods.

If questions remain about what’s in the package, don’t wave it through or assume someone else has investigated it – get it checked.

Train your people

Identifying undeclared batteries is a shared responsibility across the air cargo supply chain and doesn’t sit solely with dangerous goods specialists.

People involved in customer service, freight acceptance, warehousing, dispatch and returns may all handle shipments containing lithium batteries.

While screening is one line of defence, multiple checks throughout the shipping chain help reduce the chance of batteries entering the system undetected.

Structured dangerous goods training and regular refreshers help staff recognise products that may contain lithium batteries, ask the right questions when shipment information is unclear, and identify dangerous goods that might otherwise be missed.

Go to Rule Part 92 Subpart E: Dangerous goods training.

Main photo iStock.com/mtcurado