Indogulf, no problem, I did not think you were ranting at all. My main point is that I'm happy to work for an airline that applies and sticks to the rules at their end. Yes, I've seen "mishandling" of hazardous material such as storing it upside down, spillage or forkhole damage. However, this is then stopped from being put on an airplane. Since I don't "follow" the box once I've done the document and labelling check (After examination of packaging and documentation I can sign it off as in good shape with everything in order), I can only hope my coworkers are not stupid enough to continue to move it if its damaged or leaking. What scares me more is the shipper/broker end whereby they do not declare hazardous material in their shipment. This is usually due to the high price of shipping for these items. We do on occasion catch these culprits - sometimes by literally "sniffing" it out, opening up boxes with questionable contents. For instance if a shipper is too vague with terms such as "makeup, cosmetics, chemicals"
- I would open the box or boxes and take a closer look. I have many times "caught" dangerous goods this way. But whose to say how much slips by - we don't know. I once caught a shipper with 2000 lbs of flammable liquid which he declared as something else - cosmetics. After looking under his overpack we found labels indicating a much more dangerous product than makeup. By the way, only 50 lbs of flammable liquid is allowed on an airplane - can you imagine the fine we would have paid for that one? We turned him away. My only regret is that I didn't pick up the phone and call the FAA on him. Do all airlines/dangerous goods acceptance personnel do this? I don't know, I would tend to think not. I have a conscience, and my mother or sister or child might be on that plane - so I speak for myself and the airline I work for - or at least the airline I work for at the airport I work at on the shift I work ! Safe flying. Misstree.