9 Major League Details for Hazmat Air Shippers

October is here, and the Major League Baseball playoffs are going full steam ahead. To celebrate the postseason, below are nine details to double check to help ensure your next hazmat air shipment flies high, far, and in full compliance. 

IATA DG Checklists Used by Operators

Before they accept a dangerous goods consignment, operators use a checklist to verify certain details about the shipment. Knowing what’s on that checklist can help you verify compliance for packages and overpacks and spot mistakes before they result in carrier rejection, a Notice of Violation, or worse—an emergency at 30,000 feet. 

The nine tips below will get you started. IATA provides extensive checklists for operators to use to verify compliance with the DGR. The checklists are found at the very back of the IATA DGR (after the index) and are available on IATA’s website:

• Acceptance Checklist for Non-radioactive Shipment (IATA DGR)
• Acceptance Checklist for Radioactive Shipment (IATA DGR)
• Acceptance Checklist for Dry Ice (IATA DGR)

Note: The checklists currently available on IATA’s website here refer to the 66^th Edition DGR, in effect until January 1, 2026. 

9 DG Details to Check Before You Ship by Air

The operator is required to verify specific things before accepting a hazardous materials shipment for air transportation--you should double check these as well. 

1. Documentation. Does the Shipper’s Declaration comply with the requirements of Section 8 (or subsection 10.8 for radioactive materials)?

2. Quantity per package. Is the quantity indicated on the Shipper’s Declaration within the limits for passenger or cargo aircraft, as appropriate?

3. Markings. Do they match what would be required for the materials on the Shipper’s declaration and are they clearly visible? If liquids are inside of combination packaging, are orientation arrows applied to two opposing sides of the package?

4. Labeling. Are the packages and overpacks labeled according to 7.2 (or 10.7.2 for radioactives)? Are labels properly placed (e.g., not overlapping)?

5. Packaging rating. If your material requires UN specification packaging, does the letter (X, Y, or Z) correspond to the material’s packing group (I, II, or III)?

6. Overpacks. Are proper shipping names, UN numbers, marks, and labels on the packages inside the overpack clearly visible? If not, has this information been reproduced on the outside of the overpack and the word OVERPACK applied? If there are multiple overpacks, is each marked with a unique alpha numeric identifier?

7. Type of Packaging. Is the type of combination or single packaging permitted by the packing instruction and is it properly indicated on the Shipper’s Declaration? (e.g., with descriptive words and not just the UN specification code for the type of device?)

8. Segregation. Does the package or overpack contain different dangerous goods that must be segregated according to Table 9.3.A.? If so, don’t let it go.

9. Condition of package or overpack. Are the packages and overpacks in good condition and not leaking? Verify there is no indication that the integrity of the devices has been compromised.

The 67^th Edition IATA DGR is available now and takes effect on January 1, 2026.

Final DOT & IATA Hazmat Workshops for 2025

Join Lion for the final DOT and IATA hazmat workshops of 2025 to build the expertise it takes to understand and apply US and international hazardous materials regulations.

Can't join us in-person? Train online at your own pace or sign on for a live, instructor-led webinar. Effective training is critical to avoid rejected shipments, port and customs delays, releases in transit, and civil penalties now more than $100,000 per day, per violation.
 

Tags: hazmat air shipping, IATA, lists