Signs of the times

摘要

While the US continues to refer to 'hazardous materials', or hazmat, the rest of the English-speaking world prefers the term 'dangerous goods'. But are weapons of mass destruction dangerous, or merely hazardous? The Dangerous Goods Advisory Council (DGAC), which only recently changed its name from the Hazardous Materials Advisory Council, plumped clearly for the former at its annual conference and exposition, which took place this past November 6 to 8 in Tempe, Arizona under the theme Dangerous Goods in Dangerous Times. Underpinning the event was the acknowledgement that those who have become expert in handling hazmat in the transport chain are now having to prioritise security awareness at every stage in that chain. The tone was set from the start by Paul Bomgardner, outgoing chairman of the DGAC Board of Directors, who described the past 12 months as being "one heck of a year". The hazmat industry has been busy trying to keep up with new provisions, he said, particularly regarding security.