REPORT OF THE IFALPA DANGEROUS GOODS (DG) COMMITTEE MEETING MONTRÉAL, CANADA, OCTOBER 2004

Transcription

1 Reference: DG/1/04 05DGC November 2004 To: Principal Officers Regional Vice Presidents Member Associations DG Committee Members Ladies & Gentlemen REPORT OF THE IFALPA DANGEROUS GOODS (DG) COMMITTEE MEETING MONTRÉAL, CANADA, OCTOBER 2004 Attached is the report of the above meeting. It contains a summarised account of the discussions and recommendations made. ADDENDUM NO 1 CONTAINS THE ACTION ITEMS RESULTING FROM THE MEETING. The next meeting of the DG Committee will be held in the autumn of 2005, the venue is not yet confirmed but details will be distributed a soon as they are available. Yours faithfully, Valerie A. Godfrey Technical Officer cc: Committee Chairmen Observers ADMINISTRATIVE HEADQUARTERS TEL Interpilot House, Gogmore Lane, Chertsey, KT16 9AP, England FAX globalpilot@ifalpa.org

2 ADDENDUM 1 TO 05DGC November 2004 IFALPA DANGEROUS GOODS (DG) COMMITTEE MEETING MONTRÉAL, CANADA, OCTOBER 2004 CHECKLIST OF ACTION ITEMS PAGE AGENDA ACTION NO. ITEM NO. 2 Introduction Compile a condolence letter to Captain Gabor Szabo s family. 2 Introduction Thanks for the organisation of the DG Committee meeting. 2 Introduction Thanks and good wishes to Captain Raul Estrella for all the many years of contributions to the DG Committee Volunteered to cover the work associated with the IATA DGTTF IATA LAPB second named assignee now F/O Eckardt, replacing Captain Sprenkle JAA representation should also show F/O Arthur van den Hudding F/O Gierlings to take over the representation of the UNCOE from the Chairman. Technical Officer check on nomination letter Health Canada presentation re transport of infectious substances available on request Article to be produced in coordination with IFALPA DG Committee re transportation of radioactive isotopes for medical reasons Reminder to the members of the rules applicable to the segregation of radioactive materials and crew, passengers and animals To try to establish the agenda for the IAEA TRANSSC meetings as they come up and therefore which days the air-mode would be discussed thereby saving on pilot resources Recognition of the work in attending the IAEA Technical meetings through out the year To obtain the Swedish report on the radiation leak and forward it to the Technical Officer. 7 (4.12) To approve the forwarding to Conference of Appendix 1 the Introductory Paper as shown at Appendix 1 to the report regarding the monitoring of radioactive material during transportation. PERSON RESPONSIBLE Chairman Mr Meyer Captain Estrella Captain Gessl F/O Eckhardt F/O Arthur van den Hudding F/O Gierlings Technical Officer Technical Officer Mr McInnes Chairman Technical Officer Committee IAEA Secretariat Technical Officer Captains Tisdall & Gessl Mr Dicke Principal Officers

3 2 ADDENDUM 1 TO 05DGC016 PAGE NO. AGENDA ITEM NO. ACTION To ensure that the full Eurados report on Cosmic Radiation is made available to the HUPER Committee for review when available To review the air-mode questioner for IAEA and offer suggests and input direct to Mr Dicke Thanks for the continued work and attendance regarding the JAA meetings To advise the Committee when the referral feedback has been received from the ADO Committee regarding the fire suppression systems and the Oxygen masks To note the Committee decision to delete the agenda item related to loading of DG on Unit Loading Devices on the grounds that this is covered adequately elsewhere Any requests for additional copies of the Pilots Guide for the Acceptance of DG to be made to the Technical Officer To submit a Working Paper to ICAO DGP concerning Lithium Batteries To issue a new edition of IFALPA Annex 18 reflecting the reaffirmations taken at the meeting. 13 (18.2) To approve the forwarding to Conference of Appendix 2 the Introductory Paper as shown at Appendix 2 to the report regarding Information to the Pilot 13 (18.3) Appendix 3 In Command. To approve the forwarding to Conference of the Introductory Paper as shown at Appendix 3 to the report regarding Dangerous Goods By Mail To compile a HUPER Committee referral regarding the carriage of live animals on board aircraft. 13 (18.5) Appendix 4 To approve the forwarding to Conference of the Introductory Paper as shown at Appendix 4 to the report regarding the transportation of Infectious Substances in UN To compile a Discussion Paper on Oxygen Generators fro the next Committee meeting To check with Captain Tisdall on the entry into the PPM regarding Type C Packaging The Chairman expressed grateful thanks to Captain Ivar Modigh (previous delegate from Sweden) for his years of work with the DG Committee. PERSON RESPONSIBLE Technical Officer Committee F/O Hudding Technical Officer Principal Officers Technical Officer Chairman Technical Officer Principal Officers Principal Officers Chairman Technical Officer Principal Officers F/O Rogers Technical Officer Captain Tisdall Captain Modigh

4 3 ADDENDUM 1 TO 05DGC016 PAGE NO. AGENDA ITEM NO. ACTION PERSON RESPONSIBLE To compile an IFALPA response to the FAA Chairman, NPRM regarding the Transport of Oxygen F/O s Rogers Cylinders. The response by date had been & Gierlings extended to 13 th December Establish the DG Committee distribution system. Technical Officer & Mr Davies To compile a DG members specialist list. Technical Officer NOTE: Items shown in bold have been completed

5 Reference: DG/2/04 05DGC November 2004 IFALPA DANGEROUS GOODS (DG) COMMITTEE MEETING MONTRÉAL, CANADA, OCTOBER 2004 REPORT BY VALERIE GODFREY, TECHNICAL OFFICER ATTENDANCE LIST (INCLUDING PART-TIME ATTENDANCES) Name of delegate Association address Martin Gessl Austria Alan Kay Canada Mika Pyyhtiã Finland Timo Eckardt Germany Bengt Persson Sweden Mark Rogers USA IFALPA Carlos Limon Deputy President Wim Schuurman Chairman Valerie Godfrey Technical Officer Herb Meyer IFALPA Rep to ICAO Observers Gerry Dicke IAEA David Brennan IATA Katherine Rooney ICAO Daniel J. Sylvestre Transport Canada Brendan Sullivan Air Canada DG Ops David McInnes MDS Nordion Larry Farris US ALPA - Observer larryfarris@sbcglobal.net Ed Sprenkle US ALPA Observer gsprenkle@tampabay.rr.com Apologies Masayuki Ando PVP M & R ando-masayuki@alpajapan.org Andrew Tisdall Ireland (Vice Chairman) atisdall@eircom.net Dick Gierlings Netherlands (Vice Chairman) dick@uni-one.nl Graham Cartwright Canada graham-cartwright@telus.net - Greek Association - Takanori Nakanishi Japan nakanishi-takanori@alpajapan.org Guillermo Ortega Mexico cargaaerea@terra.com.mx Raul Estrella Mexico raul.estrella@mexicana.com.mx Arthur van den Hudding Netherlands arthur_vdh@planet.nl Paul Thomson UK paulannettethomson@bigfoot.com Johnny Chin Lip Yoon Singapore johnny@genevievewkim.com Judith Code Transport Canada codej@tc.gc.ca Bob Richard RSPA USA bob.richard@rspa.dot.gov Akhilesh Mathur UPU akhilesh.mathur@upu.int

6 OPENING REMARKS 2 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION The Chairman, Captain Wim Schuurman, opened the meeting by advising all of the sad news of the untimely death of a fellow active member of the Committee, Captain Gabor Szabo from Hungary. He asked that the members remember Captain Szabo by opening the meeting with a 1 minute silence. The Chairman would compile a letter of condolence to his family. He then welcomed all attendees to the meeting. He particularly thanked Mr Herb Meyer for all of the preparatory work in both the hotel arrangements and the use of the facilities at ICAO, which were extremely beneficial in facilitating the work of the Committee. The Chairman also thanked the IFALPA Deputy President, Captain Carlos Limon, for being able to attend in the absence of PVP Membership and Regional, Captain Masayuki Ando. The Chairman especially mentioned the Observers to the meeting, Katherine Rooney from ICAO, Gerry Dicke from IAEA, Daniel Sylvestre from Transport Canada, David Brennan from IATA and then two long serving members of the IFALPA DG Committee, Captains Larry Farris and Ed Sprenkle from US ALPA. The Chairman also advised that Mr Brendan Sullivan, Cargo Processes and Procedures Manager for Air Canada would be joining the meeting for a time. Additionally the Chairman advised the Committee that there would be a presentation from Mr David McInnes of MDS Nordion regarding the air transportation of radioactive materials used for medical reasons and the effect that a denial of shipment would have on those products. Mr McInnes would be joining the Committee later in the meeting. The Chairman then read the list of apologies (as contained above) and made a special mention of Captain Raul Estrella, thanking him for all of his many years of input to the work of the DG Committee. The Chairman and the members wished to pass on the collective good wishes in his future endeavours. 1. REVIEW OF EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION 1.1 It was noted that the IATA Dangerous Goods Training Task Force (DGTTF) was still in need of a volunteer representative. The Observer from IATA, Mr Dave Brennan, was able to advise the Committee that the DGTTF review the five training programmes that IATA produces and that the one concerned with the Training Book Two for Flight Crew and Load Planners would most probably be our main area of concern. This group meets twice a year in approximately May and November and the meeting was 4 5 days long. After some discussion, the delegate from Austria, Captain Martin Gessl, kindly volunteered to cover the work of this group. [Note: There was a DGTTF meeting planned in two weeks time and Captain Gessl was able to attend for 1 of the days on behalf of IFALPA. His attendance was reported as most beneficial and should be continued.] 1.2 The Chairman pointed out that the second named rep to the IATA Live Animals and Perishables Board (LAPB) being that of Captain Ed Sprenkle should now be replaced with F/O Timo Eckardt as he had represented the Federation at this meeting. The first named rep being F/O Mark Rogers. CHAIRMAN MR MEYER CAPTAIN ESTRELLA CAPTAIN GESSL CAPT SPRENKLE F/O ECKARDT

7 3 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 1.3 Under the JAA representation, the Chairman advised that F/O Arthur van den Hudding should also be added in addition to his own name. 1.4 The Chairman asked that his name be removed from the UN Committee Of Experts (UNCOE) representation and that F/O Dick Gierlings be the nominated rep. The Technical Officer would review the original IFALPA nomination letter to the UN to ensure that this alternation was advised appropriately. F/O HUDDING F/O GIERLINGS 1.5 The Technical Officer would ensure that all alternations were made to the External Representation list. 2. ICAO DANGEROUS GOODS PANEL 2.1 The Chairman presented his report from the ICAO DGP/19 meeting, 04DGC018. He explained that again the primary on-going concern to the Committee lay in the transportation of Infectious Substances (UN 3373) as well as the security issues of transporting Dangerous Goods generally. 04DGC As a side remark, Captain Gessl asked if the Committee had ever completed the task of listing the items which were felt to be treated as hazardous for the purposes of the security screening personnel. This issue arose out of the Ethiopian meeting (2002). The Chairman advised that this was not completed for several reasons; however Ms Rooney was able to explain that a list of prohibited items had now been passed onto the AVSEC Panel and in fact this list should possibly already be included in the Security Manual or if not, it was imminent for inclusion The Chairman then referred to the IFALPA Safety Bulletin regarding Air Transport of Infectious Substances, this paper was to be discussed later in the meeting with regard to the Legal Committee referral, paper number 05LEG008. He explained the background to this IFALPA Safety Bulletin being issued and the need to make the pilot in command aware of the possible substances being carried but not necessarily specifically disclosed. There was some discussion regarding the content of the Bulletin and the wording used. It was pointed out that the Bulletin submitted as an Information Paper to the last ICAO DG WG04 in Dubai also raised some interesting discussion points and questions were asked regarding some of the statements. For example, Mr Brennan advised that the shipment of the packages mainly as Airmail was later found to not really be the case and that most probably they would be shipped as air cargo. There was some discussion regarding the possibility of issuing a corrected or updated version of the IFALPA Bulletin; the Chairman advised that if there was found sufficient need then of course he would consider this. 2.4 Mr Brennan advised that Ms Maureen Best from Health Canada gave a very informative presentation at the IATA DGB/85 on the issue of transporting Infectious Substances and that this presentation would be made available to the IFALPA Technical Officer for further distribution on request. 05LEG008 TECHNICAL OFFICER

8 4 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 2.5 The Chairman then gave a verbal update on the WG04 meeting that had just taken place in Dubai. 2.6 F/O Mark Rogers advised the group that there was discussion on a WP presented by Italy on a World Convention on DG. Ms Rooney advised that there would be continued discussion on this point in December. 2.7 He also advised that there was some discussion on medical equipment in flight, an example of this is oxygen bottles. Mr Daniel Sylvestre of Transport Canada stated that as long as the pilot was notified in writing that there was an oxygen bottle on the flight, then it did not need to appear on the NOTOC. Captain Gessl explained that within his airline there had also been a lot of discussion and the conclusion was reached that unless its in the cargo compartment, then its not cargo. The Chairman advised that within his own airline it is approved as COMAT; it seems that the issue is addressed in different ways. Ms Rooney stated that this matter was of concern to ICAO and that she was glad that it was being raised. 3. IATA DANGEROUS GOODS BOARD 3.1 F/O Mark Rogers introduced his report from the IATA DG Board (DGB/84) held in March, 04DGC002. There were no action items resulting for the Committee. 3.2 He then went on to present his report from the IATA DG Goods by Air Conference 2004, held in Prague during March, 05DGC002. He noted that this was more of a seminar approach than a structured meeting. 04DGC022 05DGC This agenda item was concluded by F/O Timo Eckardt giving a verbal brief on the most recent DGB/85 that he had just attended. There were no items identified as requiring action by the members other than the continued monitoring of all the usual issues. He did mention again the Infectious Substances presentation and how informative and helpful it was. 4. IAEA 4.1 Captain Gessl introduced his report, 04DGC021 from the IAEA Technical Meeting re the Transport of Radioactive Material, held in January by giving a short introduction as to the history behind the meeting. It was identified that the transportation of radioactive material for medical use was, on occasion, being denied shipment. Captain Gessl suggested that the first step would be to establish why the shipments were being denied the necessary transport. Mr Gerry Dicke pointed out that the yearly shipments of Cobalt 60 (used for medical irradiation purposes) were relatively small, being around 10 to 20 per year on average. Mr Dicke added that he would encourage IFALPA to stay involved in this discussion as it will be around for some time to some yet. 04DGC021

9 5 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 4.2 There was some discussion related to Type C packaging which is required to transport Cobalt 60 in large quantities. Type C packaging does not actually exist yet therefore smaller quantities of Cobalt 60 can be transported by air in Type B packaging, however as this then proves to be cost prohibitive, Cobalt 60 does not generally travel by air. However, other radioactive materials for medical use, it was noted, were being denied shipment and this is becoming increasingly an issue to be aware of. 4.3 The Chairman then introduced Mr David McInnes, Vice President of Government Affairs from MDS Nordion (manufacturer of radioactive isotopes for medical care, based in Ottawa, Canada) to give a presentation on Facilitating the Acceptance of Medical Isotope Shipments. It was emphasised through the presentation how critical it was that medical isotopes with a short half-life reach their destination by air. The presentation concluded by explaining that the denial of shipments of these materials was increasingly worrying. 4.4 The Chairman thanked Mr McInnes for providing a very thorough and informative presentation on the important issue that pilots should be increasingly aware of. Captain Gessl advised that in a number of cases were the pilot was denying shipment it would be because of damage to the packages in which the isotopes were being transported or having witnessed mishandling of them before loading onto the aircraft. 4.5 The Chairman asked the question of how we can help to educate and train all those involved in this chain from the ground handling staff to the pilots. Mr Brennan questioned whether or not we were providing too much of the wrong sort of information. Mr McInnes stated that this was exactly the same question that was raised at the ICAO WG04 meeting in Dubai. Mr Brennan advised that possibly this issue would be something that may be addressed in some way in the Training Book 2 Flight Crew and Load Planners. 4.6 Mr Larry Farris suggested whether or not it would be feasible to label the packages for medical use. There was some discussion as to the practicability of this, however Captain Gessl cautioned against this idea which had already been reviewed during previous IAEA meetings as there would end up being two classes of radioactive material for shipment. Those for medical use and others, e.g. Iridium used for detecting hair-line fractures. 4.7 In conclusion to this section it was agreed to ask Mr McInnes to provide text for either an article in Interpilot magazine or perhaps an IFALPA Newsletter or BILL (Briefing, Information and Learning Leaflet), whichever seemed more appropriate, in order to help educate and inform about this issue. The relevant Principal Officer approval would be gained prior to this proceeding. MR MCINNES PRINCIPAL OFFICERS

10 6 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 4.8 The Chairman next introduced a related paper, 05DGC Flimsy 3, this was the IAEA Denial of Shipments Report from the Consultants Meeting, held in July in Vienna. He highlighted the point in the report regarding the separation rules applicable to crews, passengers and animals together with radioactive materials. As long as the correct segregation was being achieved then this should not be an issue of concern to the flight crews. IFALPA members were specifically asked to be reminded of the segregation rules applicable. 4.9 The Chairman next presented the report submitted by Captain Andrew Tisdall, 05DGC003, from the IAEA TRANSSC IX meeting in February. He highlighted the comment from Captain Tisdall regarding whether or not there needed to be a continued presence from IFALPA at these meetings. After some discussion it was evident that the DG Committee did still need to be at these forums, however, perhaps the days applicable to us could be more easily identified ahead of time in order to save on unnecessary day s attendance. Mr Gerry Dicke advised that perhaps the schedule of the agenda could be made known to IFALPA in order to better plan our limited resources. The Chairman thanked Captains Tisdall and Gessl for their continued attendance at the IAEA meetings; this was very valuable and necessary work for the Committee Captain Gessl then presented his report from the IAEA Technical Meeting, held only the week before in Vienna, 05DGC Flimsy 2. It was pointed out that the relevant documents need harmonising, for example the TS-R-1 document has not been kept up-to-date with the UN Orange Book; Mr Dicke was aware of the discrepancies and the IAEA are addressing this as effectively as they can. The situation was certainly improving but was not yet complete As an ad-hoc related item, the Chairman next addressed an old paper from the previous Committee meeting held in Panama, 04DGC004 related to an incident in Sweden regarding the road transport of Iridium 92 before being transported by air to the United States, then again by road to the final destination of New Orleans. Mr Dicke advised that it was now known that this was a serious radiation incident in which the integrity of the package was compromised at source. It did not meet the regulations when it left the consignee. Ms Rooney also advised that Human Factors came into play here too, as the driver of the truck believed that his Geiger Counter was malfunctioning as the reading went off the scale! Mr Dicke advised that he would obtain the report from this incident and then send it to the Technical Officer for further distribution. Mr Dicke also pointed out that JAR-OPS lays down the requirements for checking for the signs of damaged packaging. 05DGC FLIMSY 3 COMMITTEE 05DGC003 MR DICKE / IAEA SECRETARIAT CAPTAINS TISDALL & GESSL 05DGC FLIMSY 2 04DGC004 MR DICKE

11 7 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 4.12 The Chairman felt that there was sufficient concern over the monitoring of radioactive material by way of measurement that the Committee should consider developing policy to compliment that which IFALPA already has regarding this issue. Therefore the policy proposal as shown in Appendix 1 to this report, contains text as produced through an exchange involving all members of the Committee, subsequent to the meeting. The Principal Officers are asked to approve this IP for forwarding to Conference The Chairman then introduced a paper from Captain Tisdall regarding the Eurados long awaited report on aircrew radiation doses. The full report is due out in the near future. This would be distributed when made available. [Note: Post meeting, Captain Tisdall s pre-report paper was issued with the IFALPA number, 05DGC015.] 4.14 The Chairman advised that the HUPER Committee is the lead regarding Cosmic Radiation issues. The Technical Officer will ensure that the full Eurados report is made available to the HUPER Committee as soon as it is made available to the DG Committee. APPENDIX 1 PRINCIPAL OFFICERS 05DGC015 TECHNICAL OFFICER 4.15 The last item in this section concerned an IAEA project regarding the transportation of radioactive material within different states. The Chairman invited Mr Dicke to explain a little of the programmes work. Mr Dicke explained that a country will invite the IAEA to come into their nation and carry out a compliance survey on the transportation of radioactive materials. This is turn will lead to a report being issued called a Transport Safety Appraisal (TSA). Mr Dicke advised that already they have completed surveys into Slovenia, Brazil, UK, Turkey, Panama and France. There has recently been a request from Japan Mr Dicke explained that some countries require a review of the air-mode as well as the sea-mode and in this regard, IAEA realised that their questioner for the air-mode was not adequate enough. The questioner is sent out to the regulating authority responsible for the shipment of radioactive material of the country concerned, ahead of the visit by the IAEA team. Mr Dicke requested that the IFALPA DG members have a look at the airmode questioner and supply comments and feedback to him, as where felt necessary, in order to improve the relevance of the questions and issues being addressed in the document. Any input from the members would be highly appreciated. [Note: Since the meeting, the Technical Officer has distributed the airmode questioner to the members of the Committee, as received from Mr Dicke. Any comments should be addressed back to Mr Dicke, with Ms Rooney copied in for information.] COMMITTEE

12 8 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 5. IATA LIVE ANIMALS BOARD 5.1 F/O Timo Eckardt presented his report, 04DGC019, from the LAPB/14 meeting. He advised that the IFALPA SEC Committee were looking at possibly producing policy related to security issues of horse grooms and such accompanying persons. 6. REVIEW OF JAA DG-RELATED ACTIVITIES 6.1 The Chairman presented the two papers from F/O Arthur van den Hudding regarding the DGELG meetings, 05DGC001 and 05DGC005. There were no discussions and no action items resulting. The Chairman thanked F/O Hudding for his continued attendance at this important forum. 7. UPU 7.1 The Chairman presented the report from F/O Dick Gierlings, 05DGC Flimsy 1, regarding the UPU/IAEA Joint Experts Meeting, held in July. The Chairman pointed out that this is a very technical and involved process but is also a very necessary one, assisting member states in efforts to prevent the illicit trafficking of radioactive material. 04DGC019 05DGC001, 05DGC005 F/O HUDDING 05DGC FLIMSY 1 8. DEVELOPMENT OF IFALPA ANNEX This item was addressed under agenda item NOTOC 9.1 Although there were no papers submitted under this agenda item, there was some discussion regarding the need for a hard copy of the NOTOC on the flight deck; all agreed that this should always be the case. F/O Eckardt explained that even with ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System), you are required to have a printed copy of the NOTOC. 10. CARGO HOLDS AND THEIR SPECIFICATIONS F/O Mark Rogers introduced his Discussion Paper, 05DGC011, regarding the inadequacy of fire suppression onboard cargo-only aircraft. He explained that this paper was the result of many enquiries at the IATA DGB as to why flight crews need to have accessibility provisions on cargo aircraft. On many of the flights there are more than two pilots present and therefore should a fire break out, then to at least having access to the cargo compartments with an extinguisher of some sort, would enable the extra crew to have a chance at putting out the fire. 05DGC F/O Rogers stated that there are many inadequacies with regard to fire suppression in cargo aircraft but to at least be able to build on what is presently in place would be an improvement on the system as it now stands.

13 9 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION There then followed much discussion on all aspects of cargo compartments, fire fighting, crew fighting fires in flight, aircraft types and their cargo compartments. In summary, the Committee agreed that we should not loose what we presently have and rather should move forward to try to improve this situation. There were three main areas were the argument lay in defending the cause of accessibility to the crews: i) accessibility to the cargo pre flight ii) cargo segregation from DG cargo iii) detection and suppression, should a fire break-out in flight F/O Rogers advised that this discussion had been most helpful to enable him to take the views and comments of the Committee members back to the Cargo Safety Council within ALPA The Chairman concluded by advising that it would be appropriate to provide a DG Referral to the ADO Committee with regard to fire suppression capabilities. The following text was submitted to the ADO Committee meeting in Noordwijkerhout (7 9 Nov 04), as paper number 05ADO051: 05ADO Whereas it is known that the older generation Freighter aircraft, such as DC8, DC10, B707, A300 and B /200/300, only have smoke detectors installed and no fire suppression system, both in Class D (under floor) and Class E (Main Deck) compartments, what are the requirements for: - newer generation freighters such as B , MD11, B757, B767 and B777? - future freighters such as the A380? 2. Does the ADO Committee know about the fire suppression capabilities of DG containers used on the Main deck by Fed Ex? How do these capabilities compare to those required for Class C cargo compartment? Would it be feasible to require an external fire-resistant liner on these containers in order to protect against an external fire which originates elsewhere on the Main deck? Any information is highly appreciated as it can be foreseen that proposals will be put forward at ICAO to no longer require CAO DG to be accessible. The DG Committee is in the process of developing a position on this by examining the fire suppression possibilities on board Freighter Aircraft The Chairman, as an ad-hoc related item, discussed a previous ADO referral that had not yet been resolved concerning Oxygen Supply. The Chairman also included the following text as a second referral to the ADO Committee for their meeting in Noordwijkerhout, also under paper number 05ADO051: 05ADO051

14 10 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 1. Freighters are being re-equipped with smoke hoods rather than portable oxygen bottles with full face mask. Does the ADO Committee feel that this is a positive trend? Note: oxygen bottles can be switched off and on for multiple use for (re)checking purpose, whereas a smoke hood runs once it is started until it is depleted. The typical quantity of smoke hoods installed in a wide body full-freighter is 1 or 2 units. 2. Full face masks at crew stations are considered to be preferable to the old style oxygen mask with separate smoke goggle, both for better protection and easy switching between a fixed oxygen installation and a portable oxygen bottle. Does the ADO Committee know whether older freighter aircraft will be upgraded as well? The response from these two referrals will be passed on to the DG Committee members once received from ADO. TECHNICAL OFFICER 10.2 Loading of DG on Unit Loading Devices (ULDs) There were no papers submitted under this agenda item. There were discussions addressed under other items The Chairman suggested that this agenda item should be deleted as it was no longer necessary as a stand-alone item listed on the agenda. The Committee agreed to the deletion. The Principal Officers are asked to note the decision. PRINCIPAL OFFICERS 11. LIMITED AND EXCEPTED QUANTITIES 11.1 There were no papers submitted under this agenda item. There were discussions addressed under other items. 12. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES 12.1 There were no papers submitted under this agenda item. There were discussions addressed under other items. 13. TRAINING PROGRAMMES AND PILOT INFORMATION 13.1 There were no papers submitted under this agenda item. The Chairman advised that the Priority A for this item should be amended to a B and that the last sentence under the remarks of the agenda item should be deleted. The sentence for deletion reads as follows: A number of operators have developed programmes and the exchange of audio/visual material should be considered.

15 11 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 13.2 F/O Rogers advised that the printing of the new, updated version of the Pilots Guide for Acceptance of Dangerous Goods was completed, with an initial copies produced. [Note: Subsequent to the meeting, the Technical Officer has been able to distribute five copies of the guides to each of the 109 Member Associations and has also publicised the fact that there is a new guide available by using the IFALPA Intranet.] Any inquiries for additional copies of the guide should initially be made to the Technical Officer. TECHNICAL OFFICER 13.3 There were no papers submitted under this agenda item. The Chairman advised that the Priority B for this item should be amended to priority A. 14. ACCIDENT AND INCIDENT REPORTING 14.1 There were no papers submitted under this agenda item. There were discussions addressed under other items. 15. REVIEW OF BATTERIES AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT 15.1 There were no papers presented under this agenda item however there was discussion regarding the increasing transportation of Lithium batteries and their inherent dangers when the packaging becomes damaged F/O Rogers introduced an FAA report on the flammability assessment of Lithium batteries; this investigation took place by the FAA in response to an incident in 1999 involving a cargo facility at Los Angeles where a damaged pallet of Lithium batteries was found to be the source. This report is available from the US DOT web site ( it is also available from the Technical Officer on request but due to its size, on a CD only. F/O Rogers went onto explain that US ALPA were so concerned with the issue of transportation of these batteries that they had written a letter to the US Department of Transportation highlighting the issues. This letter can be found at Attachment 1 to this report. ATTACHMENT F/O Rogers advised that so far the response back from Mr Robert McGuire at the US DOT has been that the matter is being investigated. There was hope that this matter would be raised at the UN through the DOT The Chairman concluded by stating that the DG Committee involvement at this stage should be by way of submitting a Working Paper to the next ICAO DGP. The Chairman would initiate a paper for submission. CHAIRMAN He also added that the Priority of this agenda item should be changed from a C to an A as this was becoming an increasing area of concern and work for the Committee.

16 12 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 16. LEGAL ASPECTS OF CARRYING DANGEROUS GOODS 16.1 There were two formal DG referrals to the Legal (LEG) Committee and one ad-hoc paper, presented as a Flimsy to the LEG Committee for discussion. As the LEG Committee met at the same venue prior to the DG meeting, both the Chairman of DG and the Technical Officer were able to attend the second day of LEG. The following notes mostly result from this LEG session The first referral, 05LEG008, concerned the responsibilities of the PIC in the case of undeclared or unknown Infectious Substances leaking. The second referral, 05LEG010, concerned the liability of the PIC towards non-crew members accompanying consignments on cargo aircraft. Both these questions to the LEG Committee and their responses can be seen at Attachment 2 to this report. 05LEG008 05LEG010 ATTACHMENT The third referral to LEG concerned the ammunition allowance, coming into force from 1 st January 2005, allowing passengers to carry this allowable amount for other than sporting purposes and the implications on the crew, should there be the necessity to make a diversion landing. This referral can be found as Attachment 3 to this report. ATTACHMENT After some discussion including examples of crew that have been incarcerated because of the situation they have found themselves in regarding ammunition on board and an unscheduled landing, the conclusion was reached that a LEG BILL (Briefing and Information, Learning Leaflet) should be produced to alert pilots to this situation. The result of the LEG Bill can be seen at Attachment 4 to this report. This Bill will be available on the IFALPA Intranet imminently. 17. SECURITY AND DANGEROUS GOODS 17.1 The Chairman presented the Discussion Paper, 05DGC013, concerned with the ICAO State Letter regarding Security Provisions in Annex 18. After some discussion concerning whether or not to suggest that the word used by ICAO, minimise, should be changed to read prevent when referring to theft or misuse of DG, the conclusion was reached post meeting, that the IFALPA response should reflect agreement with comments and suggest the word change to prevent. The IFALPA response to ICAO can be seen at Attachment 5 to this report. 18. POLICY REVIEW 18.1 The Chairman presented the Annex 18 review paper, 05DGC012 for consideration by the Committee. There were many policies from 1993 and 1994 that had not changed in any way and therefore the Committee agreed to reaffirm them. These will all be reflected in the next edition of the IFALPA Annex 18 to be produced by the Technical Officer in due course. ATTACHMENT 4 05DGC013 ATTACHMENT 5 05DGC012 TECHNICAL OFFICER

17 13 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 18.2 It was noted that the present policy contained in Chapter 9, Provision of Information, sub para 9.1 Information to the Pilot In Command was in need of a slight re-word. After some discussion the proposals can be seen at Appendix 2 to this report. The Principal Officers are asked to approve the forwarding to Conference of this Introductory Paper Under Chapter 11, Compliance, sub para 11.4 Dangerous Goods By Mail, there were three polices that were not very clear in their meaning; it was agreed to re-word the policies and the conclusions can be found at Appendix 3 to this report. The Principal Officers are asked to approve the forwarding to Conference of this Introductory Paper The Chairman concluded the review of IFALPA Annex 18 by explaining that he believed the section referring to Carriage of Live Animals on Board Aircraft concerning accompanying persons with a consignment or other cargo (ref TI section of the Annex 18, para s and 3.8.2), should be referred to the HUPER Committee. There was some discussion within the Committee and the feeling was that this could be deleted, once the Chairman and Technical Officer had referred the matter to the HUPER Committee During the course of the discussions related to UN 3373 and in light of the fact that the DG Committee had felt it necessary to publish a Safety Bulletin on the matter, the Chairman felt it was appropriate to suggest new policy to cover the transport aspects of Infectious Substances within UN There was some discussion and the Committee agreed to this course of action. The policy proposal can be found at Appendix 4 to this report and was conducted through exchange post meeting. The Principal Officers are asked to approve this IP to Conference It should be noted that as both Appendices 1 and 4 were developed post meeting there may have not been sufficient time for all committee members to have reviewed them thoroughly; if any member has any issues or comments with either of these IPs then please advise the Chairman and Technical Officer as soon as possible POLICY AND POSITION MANUAL (PPM) REVIEW The Chairman presented the paper, 05DGC010, regarding the two DG entries into the PPM. The Committee was tasked with reviewing the two entries and then deciding what should happen to the material. APPENDIX 2 PRINCIPAL OFFICERS APPENDIX 3 PRINCIPAL OFFICERS CHAIRMAN TECHNICAL OFFICER APPENDIX 4 PRINCIPAL OFFICERS COMMITTEE 05DGC010

18 14 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION The first entry concerned Oxygen Generators; this generated much discussion as to whether or not policy should be developed in lieu of this position material. There were comments relating to whether or not Oxygen Generators should be carried on board cargo aircraft but then not allowed on passenger aircraft; however it was concluded that cargo aircraft would always be treated differently to passenger aircraft in any case. As it was too detailed a matter to reach a conclusion on during the meeting F/O Mark Rogers was asked to produce a paper for the next DG committee meeting suggesting the way to action this PPM entry The second entry concerned Type C Packaging. The Chairman stated that as Captain Andrew Tisdall was not present, that the Technical Officer should forward the material to him and ask his recommendations as to how to deal with it. In this case, there was policy, but was it adequate. 19. ANY OTHER BUSINESS 19.1 The Chairman advised that his Annual Report from 2003, 04DGC017 was available for all to see the work of the committee during that year; the paper had been listed on the agenda for information only, however the Chairman encouraged all to read the report and use it as a template for future work. He also asked that all committee members should review the Action Lists provided against each DG committee meeting report. Additionally he thanked the previous delegate from Sweden Captain Ivar Modigh for all of his hard work and dedication to the committee The Chairman then introduced paper 05DGC008, the US DOT NPRM concerned with the Transport of Oxygen Cylinders. F/O Rogers was able to advise that the deadline for any further responses had been extended to 13 th December The Chairman advised that he would like to see a separate response to this NPRM from that of US ALPA s. He suggested that the compiling of the letter should be conducted via and should involve himself, F/O Rogers and F/O Gierlings. This task would need to be completed immediately if the deadline was to be met. This would then be a response from IFALPA The Technical Officer then presented paper 05DGC007 concerned with the establishment of an distribution system, to be administered through IPH at Chertsey. There was a brief discussion on the way the system would work, that is, one address (dgc@ifalpa.org) which would then distribute out to the complete list of names that would be entered into the system, behind that address so to speak. For example, the ATS committee system has been in operation for over a year now on a private account and that address is distributed to over 40 names. All agreed that this was a good system and would be of benefit to the committee and its working methods. The Technical Officer would work with Mr Peter Davies at IPH in order to implement the system as soon as possible, with respect to work loads. F/O ROGERS TECHNICAL OFFICER CAPTAIN TISDALL 04DGC017 CAPTAIN MODIGH 05DGC008 CHAIRMAN, F/O S ROGERS & GIERLINGS 05DGC007 TECHNICAL OFFICER / MR DAVIES

19 15 05DGC016 REFERENCE/ ACTION 19.4 The next paper presented was 05DGC009 and concerned the establishing of a DG committee specialist list. This list would hold the members name, his aircraft ratings and then the area were his specialist area or interests lay. The idea behind this list was again to try to facilitate the way the committee completes its work, and help with other members easily identifying who may be able to help with a particular issue or concern. The concept had been thoroughly endorsed by the Principal Officers. After some discussion the committee agreed to the establishment of the list. The Technical Officer would compile it as soon as she was able to. 05DGC009 TECHNICAL OFFICER 19.5 The Chairman then advised that all the business of the meeting was now closed. CLOSING REMARKS The Chairman again thanked all for attending and expressed thanks to Mr Meyer for all of the arrangements, business and social. He had previously thanked especially all of the Observers that took time out of their busy schedules to the join the Committee on the Thursday and Friday, their input, as always, was invaluable. During the course of the meeting the good news had reached the members that F/O Dick Gierlings and his wife Monique were celebrating the addition of their son Alec to the family. All the members wished them well. The Chairman advised that the next meeting venue and dates were not yet arranged but that consideration should be given to holding the meeting in Europe for There would be an invitation pending and the committee will be advised in due course. The Chairman ended the meeting by reminding all that the IFALPA 60 th Annual Conference would be held in Cape Town, 8 12 April 2005.

20 Attachment 1 to 05DGC016 September 29, 2004 Robert A. McGuire Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety, DHM-1 U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Special Programs Administration Office of Hazardous Materials Safety 400 7th St., S.W. Washington, DC Subject: Lithium Battery Shipments Transported via the Air Mode Dear Mr. McGuire: The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), representing the safety interests of 64,000 professional airline pilots flying for 43 airlines in the United States and Canada, is greatly concerned that packaging standards currently in place for lithium battery shipments do not adequately protect the aircraft and its occupants from the potential fire hazard posed by these shipments. On April 28, 1999, a fire occurred at a cargo facility at Los Angeles International Airport after a pallet of lithium batteries was damaged during unloading. The fire erupted approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes after the pallet was damaged, and quickly spread to an adjoining pallet of undamaged batteries. Because of a special provision in place at the time of the fire, the batteries were permitted to be shipped without being identified as hazardous material requiring appropriate identification, marking, labelling, and testing. In response to this incident and the subsequent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) issued rulemaking, which substantively addressed the deficiencies in the identification, marking, labelling, and testing of lithium batteries shipped in bulk, as well as increasing packaging standards to prevent the short-circuiting of batteries. Unfortunately, this rulemaking did not address the susceptibility of an undamaged lithium battery shipment to fire, or the severity of such a fire. This was evidenced by the ease in which the fire in Los Angeles spread to the adjoining undamaged pallet of batteries, and the difficulty the fire department had in extinguishing the fire. This was also a principle finding of the June 2004 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Technical Center report, DOT/FAA/AR-04/26, entitled Flammability Assessment of Bulk-Packed, Non rechargeable Lithium Primary Batteries in Transport Category Aircraft. This study was conducted in response to NTSB Recommendation A (Note 1), issued November 16, 1999, which recommended the FAA and RSPA evaluate the fire hazards posed by lithium batteries in an air transportation environment and the involvement of packages containing large quantities of tightly packed batteries in a cargo compartment fire. Among the troubling conclusions included in this report, the FAA found that a relatively small fire source was required to start the batteries on fire; that once a fire was initiated it quickly spread to the remainder of the batteries until all batteries were involved in the fire; that the temperature in the testing compartment could rise to 1,400 F (above the melting point of aluminum); and that the batteries burned in an explosive manner, including a pressure pulse sufficient to cause the failure of a cargo compartment.

21 Attachment 1 to 05DGC Perhaps the most troubling finding was that the Halon 1301 suppressant currently used in aircraft cargo compartments was completely ineffective in suppressing a lithium battery fire, even if discharged immediately after initiation of the fire, and that the heat from a suppressed cargo fire was sufficient to ignite a bulk shipment of lithium batteries. The risk associated with bulk shipments of lithium batteries is fairly unique within the dangerous goods transportation system, in that nothing other than an improperly packaged or damaged shipment of batteries is required to initiate a fire. For flammable liquids, an ignition source is still required once a package has failed and the shipment has leaked. Once a shipment of lithium batteries has been damaged, there is a significant likelihood that the batteries will initiate and catch fire, overcoming the on-board fire suppression capabilities and likely causing the loss of the aircraft and all aboard. As such, bulk shipments of lithium batteries represent a similar risk as charged oxygen generators and should be governed by similar regulations. In fact, in the notice of proposed rulemaking Docket HM-224B currently open for comment, RSPA proposes packaging standards for oxygen cylinders which would require the packaging for the cylinders to withstand a 400 F temperature for 3 hours. This is roughly equivalent to the temperature of a suppressed cargo fire during an ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine Operations Performance Specification) diversion. Yet the current packaging standards for lithium batteries offer no protection against a suppressed cargo fire, while the severity of a lithium battery fire would far exceed that of a fire fed by an oxygen cylinder. The Air Line Pilots Association, International urges RSPA to develop packaging standards for lithium batteries similar to those in place for other commodities, which in the event of a fire, including a suppressed cargo fire, would result in the loss of the airplane. The packaging should not only be sufficient to protect the batteries from damage and short-circuiting, but also should be adequate to protect the batteries from self-ignition if exposed to the heat from a suppressed or unsuppressed cargo fire. Additionally, in light of the FAA testing of a single lithium-ion computer battery, we request that further testing of lithium-ion batteries and batteries in equipment be accomplished. The severity of this issue requires immediate attention, and we look forward to your response. If these criteria cannot be met, bulk shipments of lithium batteries should be forbidden from both passenger and cargo-only aircraft until adequate packaging standards are in place. This is consistent and more restrictive than the NTSB Recommendation (Note 2) A to the RSPA to prohibit lithium batteries from being carried on board passenger-carrying aircraft. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment. We are available to discuss this matter further. Please contact Mark Rogers, Director of ALPA s Dangerous Goods Programs, directly at mark.rogers@alpa.org or via Rick Kessel, ALPA Engineering and Air Safety Department staff at 703/ ; rick.kesselr@alpa.org.