Training (Canada)

Scope

Section 6.1 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations states that a person who handles, offers for transport, or transports dangerous goods must be adequately trained and hold a training certificate.

Regulatory citations

• Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, Part 6

Key definitions

• Adequately trained: The person has a sound knowledge of all the topics listed below that directly relate to the person’s duties and to the dangerous goods handled, offered for transport, or transported.

Summary of requirements

Anyone who handles, offers for transport, or transports dangerous goods must:

• Be adequately trained and hold a training certificate, or
• Perform the activities in the presence and under the direct supervision of a person who is adequately trained and who holds a training certificate.

An employee must not handle, offer for transport or transport dangerous goods unless the employee:

• Is adequately trained and holds a training certificate, or
• Performs the activities in the presence and under the direct supervision of a person who is adequately trained and who holds a training certificate.

The employer must issue a training certificate if the employee has received training. There is no standardized form for the training certificate, but it must include the following:

• Name and address of the place of business of the employer;
• Employee’s name;
• Date the training certificate expires, preceded by the words “Expires on” or “Date d’expiration”; and
• The aspects of handling, offering for transport, or transporting dangerous goods for which the employee is trained, including the specific topics provided below.

The training must cover the following topics :

• The classification criteria and test methods in Part 2, Classification;
• Shipping names;
• The use of Schedules 1, 2, and 3;
• The shipping document and train consist requirements in Part 3, Documentation;
• The dangerous goods safety marks requirements in Part 4, Dangerous Goods Safety Marks;
• The certification safety marks requirements, safety requirements and safety standards in Part 5, Means of Containment;
• The emergency response assistance plan requirements in Part 7, Emergency Response Assistance Plan;
• The report requirements in Part 8, Accidental Release and Imminent Accidental Release Report Requirements;
• Safe handling and transportation practices for dangerous goods, including the characteristics of the dangerous goods;
• The proper use of any equipment used to handle or transport the dangerous goods; and
• The reasonable emergency measures the person must take to reduce or eliminate any danger to public safety that results or may reasonably be expected to result from an accidental release of the dangerous goods.

For air transport, additional training must include the aspects of training set out in Chapter 4, Training, of Part 1, General, of the ICAO Technical Instructions for the persons named in that Chapter and the requirements in Part 12, Air.

For marine transport, additional training must include the requirements set out in the IMDG Code and the “Dangerous Goods Shipping Regulations,” as applicable, and the requirements in Part 11, Marine.

See Part 6 of the TDG Regulations for complete training requirements.