A new study has highlighted the need to reduce process complexity, establish effective staff recruitment and retention programs, and enhance digitalization to facilitate the safe and compliant transport of dangerous goods (DG) and hazardous materials (hazmat).

The study, 2023 Global Dangerous Goods Confidence Outlook, conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Labelmaster, and Hazardous Cargo Bulletin found that despite the gains made, these challenges remain and must be addressed with multiple approaches.

Robert Finn, Vice President of Labelmaster said: “Ongoing supply chain disruptions along with the continued growth of e-commerce and markets that rely on DG – from consumer products to electric vehicles – has made shipping goods safely and compliantly increasingly difficult. While organizations showed improvement in their DG operations over the last year, the survey underscored the need to reduce process complexity and enhance digitalization to address future supply chain and regulatory challenges.”

“Confidence among DG professionals is high, yet challenges remain. These include process complexity, the mis-declaration of DG and the recruitment of skilled personnel. To meet the future growth in DG shipments, we need well-trained professionals following globally agreed standards and supported by the right technology and infrastructure,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president of operations, safety, and security| Safe transport of electric vehicles, others plight aviation sector.