Posted on : By : eduwhere Posted in : Insight|Online Course|Regulatory

Shipping Coronavirus

Coronavirus, also known by its virus name SARS-CoV-2 and its disease name COVID-19, is appearing more and more in our news and becoming a wider spread concern, creating questions about safety protocols when transporting specimens. Samples of blood or tissue may need to be shipped for diagnostic purposes, or to a lab studying the virus to better understand its characteristics. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently provided interim guidelines for laboratory biosafety handling and processing of specimens associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019, stating that specimens from suspected or potential patient cases of COVID-19 should be shipped under regulations for UN 3373 Biological Substance, Category B.

UN 3373 Biological Substance, Category B

UN3373 Package Mark

COVID-19 isn’t the first infectious substance that clinical facilities have shipped using the UN 3373 Biological Substance, Category B designation. The US Department of Transportation have well established procedures in place to classify, describe, label, mark, and package patient specimens for proper and safe shipping. These regulations include requirements for triple packaging as well as adequate absorbent and cushioning materials to prevent breakage and leaking. There are also specific labeling and marking requirements for the outside of the package, including the UN3373 mark, the words “Biological Substance, Category B”, and the name and phone number of a responsible person who can answer questions in case of emergency. Additional steps are required if dry ice is used.

Triple Packaging Requirements for UN3373

If you need more information on shipping biological substances and infectious substances, Eduwhere provides two courses covering the proper shipping of Infectious Substances:

For more information on coronavirus safety, see the CDC webpage on COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/lab-biosafety-guidelines.html

Posted on : By : eduwhere Posted in : Online Course|Regulatory

2020 IATA Updates & Regulations for Shipping Dangerous Goods

Here are a few of the changes to our IATA Dangerous Goods course that we will be including for the upcoming year:

Most significantly in the 61st Edition is the inclusion of Appendix H Competency Based Training and Assessment Approach. The Competency Based Training has been deferred from implementation in this edition and is expected to be adopted in the 2021-2022 ICAO Technical instructions. Appendix H has been provided to give shippers an opportunity to review and provide feedback on this approach. 

Revisions taking effect in the 61st edition include the clarifications made to marking. All marks (excepted quantity, limited quantity, environmentally hazardous substance and the lithium battery mark) when required must be on one side of the package. Where the marks is applied by means of a label, the label must not be folded or applied such that it appears on two sides of the package. Clarification has been added to the “Keep Away From Heat” label to identify that the label should be affixed to the same side of the package as the hazard labels.

There are also updates to Packing Instructions, Operator Variations, and State Variations.

If you or your company ship dangerous goods by air, Eduwhere’s IATA Dangerous Goods course may be appropriate for you. This online training course is designed to cover the fundamentals of shipping dangerous goods by air, according to the IATA regulations, as specified in Section 1.5 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and 49 CFR 172 Subpart H. However, it is important to note that this course does not cover the in depth requirements for the shipment of radioactive materials. 

Eduwhere’s training is designed with a 10-step approach, which encompasses all of the activities which must be addressed when preparing dangerous goods for shipment by air, to ensure safe and legal shipment. It is necessary for anyone involved at any stage in the air shipment of dangerous goods to be properly trained, whether they handle dangerous goods, prepare the goods, packagings, or the associated documentation (including marks and labels and Shipper’s Declaration) for shipment or are responsible for the safe transportation of dangerous goods. 

If you need a copy of the 2020 IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, 61st Edition, we offer a “course & book bundle” which includes our online IATA course, the 2020 IATA DGR, and free shipping within the United States. You can also order just the IATA DGR book on our Keika Ventures website.

IATA DGR 2020