DENIAL OF SHIPMENT - Presentation

The international transport of radioactive material by air is an essential element of healthcare across the globe. Bone scans, cancer treatments and sterilisation of medical equipment all depend on the expeditious transport by air of radioactive isotopes. The issue of the denial of shipments is a worldwide problem and comes in different forms e.g. from the individual pilot who is unhappy at seeing a package bearing a trefoil in the hold of his aircraft, and so offloads it, to the major airline which has decided, because of the costs associated with compliance, that it is simply not commercially viable to carry this type of goods. Both scenarios could fall under the heading of “Denial of shipment” but whilst the former may be relatively easily addressed by improved training, the latter is a far more difficult subject. Whereas “Denial” is often thought of as a transport issue the costs of compliance with the transport requirements are only one part of the story because there are many other expenses relating to storage, worker safety, security etc which would still impact on commercial viability even if transport compliance costs were zero. Consequently, until the issue of denial is addressed holistically, involving all agencies with a vested interest, it is suggested problems will continue to be experienced for the foreseeable future. Another common issue is the failure of a radioactive consignment to pass an airline’s acceptance check (which all consignments of dangerous goods undergo). Some such failures may be entirely justified, due to significant omissions or faults with a package, but there are also occasions when consignments are rejected for very minor reasons. Whilst this is often blamed on the airline or their handling agent, the prime cause of the rejection is often because of the fear of sanction by an over zealous regulator.