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VEHS Home > Training > Shipping Biological Substances - USDOT and IATA Training

Shipping Biological Substances - USDOT and IATA Training

Requirements

In order to comply with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and International Air Transportation Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations, persons who prepare hazardous materials for shipment (including shipping papers) or who transport hazardous materials in commerce must complete training in accordance with the requirements of these transportation safety authorities.

If you perform any of the following functions, you need to complete training:

  • Package or ship any biological materials on Dry Ice (or prepare the paperwork for such packages)
  • Package or ship human or animal clinical specimens or tissues
  • Package or ship any human or animal clinical specimens as part of a study where the sponsor has designated these materials as Category B biological substances (or prepare paperwork for such packages)
  • Package or ship any materials that may contain an agent infectious to humans or animals (i.e., microbiological cultures).

This training must include:

  • General awareness training
  • Function-specific training
  • Safety training
  • Security training (if applicable)

At the completion of training, the person must successfully complete a test to demonstrate their knowledge of training materials as it relates to their shipping function. Then the person will receive a certificate of training specific for the class of materials they may ship. This certificate needs to be endorsed by the person's supervisor in order to fully comply with the certification requirements.

Because of the nature of the training requirements for hazardous materials/dangerous goods shipping, initial shipping training will only be offered through in-person sessions that are held at least monthly by VEHS Biosafety.  This training is not provided online.

Retraining is required.  Once initial training is completed, the person must complete refresher training at least once every two years or when significant regulatory changes occur.

If you have completed training in the past but the session was not an in-person session, you will need to complete an in-person session to "renew" your training at your earliest convenience in order to be compliant for shipping any of the materials mentioned above going forward.

Upcoming Training Sessions

Registration is REQUIRED.   Each class is limited to 10 participants.

To register for a class, please send an email to Rich DiTullio (richard.ditullio@vanderbilt.edu)  and provide your name, contact phone number, department, which session you would like to attend, and a brief description of your shipping function including the materials you will ship.

These 2.5 hour classes are held in A-0201 MCN (VEHS Conference Room) unless otherwise indicated.

Additional group training sessions may be scheduled upon request. Contact Rich DiTullio, at 322-1988 or richard.ditullio@vanderbilt.edu for assistance.

If you need to ship biological specimens but have not yet received training, contact Robin Trundy, VEHS Biosafety Officer at 322-0927 or richard.ditullio@vanderbilt.edu for assistance.

Additional Resources

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