Who Needs IATA Training?
If you work with hazardous materials that travel by air, even occasionally, you may already fall under the category of who needs IATA training. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) sets global standards to keep dangerous goods (DG) shipments safe and compliant during air transport.
This guide will help you understand whether your job requires IATA training, which type fits your responsibilities, and how to choose the training that aligns with your role. Whether you prepare packages, accept freight, or handle airport cargo, knowing your requirements is essential for compliance and safety.
Which Workers Need IATA Training?
IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) training is legally required for anyone involved in the air shipment of dangerous goods. This includes anyone who prepares, handles, ships, accepts, or transports DG at any point in the process.
If your role contributes to getting a DG shipment onto an aircraft safely, or preventing unsafe shipments from moving forward, you fall under these requirements.
Roles That Require Dangerous Goods Training
Shippers preparing dangerous goods packages
Freight forwarders handling or accepting DG shipments
Warehouse staff and packers who handle DG
Anyone signing a Shipper’s Declaration
Cargo agents, acceptance personnel, and handlers
These workers must maintain their IATA certificate to stay compliant because they determine whether a shipment meets the strict safety standards needed to protect aircraft, crew, and cargo from preventable hazards.
Why IATA and Multimodal Training Matters
IATA’s regulations exist to create consistency and prevent dangerous situations in air transport. Without a universal standard, shippers and handlers across different countries would follow conflicting rules, creating more risk for airlines, ground crews, and passengers.
Key Principles of Compliance
IATA sets worldwide DG transport standards, ensuring that everyone, from shippers to handlers, follows the same rules.
Compliance reduces regulatory violations and safety risks, including rejected shipments or costly penalties.
Training ensures personnel understand their responsibilities, including correct preparation, documentation, and hazard recognition.
Because of these requirements, proper training isn’t optional; it’s a fundamental part of safe DG transportation.
Who Needs Multimodal HAZMAT Shipping Training?
Not all dangerous goods shipments travel only by air. Many move across multiple modes of transportation, such as air to ground, or air to ocean. When this happens, workers must meet all regulatory requirements for each stage, not just IATA rules.
You need multimodal training if your shipments transition between air, road, or sea transportation.
Some multimodal course options include:
Multimodal DOT & IATA HAZMAT Shipping: For shipments that move by ground and air
Multimodal DOT, IATA & IMDG HAZMAT Shipping: For shipments that travel by ground, air, and ocean
Multimodal training is best whenever your supply chain shifts between regulatory bodies, ensuring seamless compliance from origin to final destination.
Who Needs Core IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) Training?
If your job tasks involve preparing, reviewing, or approving dangerous goods shipments, then you will need the core IATA DGR training. This training applies broadly across shipping, freight, logistics, and airline operations.
Core Course Options
IATA DGR 66th Edition: Required for anyone performing functions such as preparing, processing, or accepting DG shipments
IATA DGR Refresher: Required every 24 months to stay compliant with updated rules
Refresher training is mandatory because DG regulations change annually, and workers must stay current to avoid compliance gaps.
Who Needs IATA Class-Specific Dangerous Goods Training?
Some industries handle dangerous goods that fall under very specific hazard classes. In these cases, general DG training may not be enough. Workers need class-specific IATA training to meet more specialized regulatory expectations.
Class-Specific Options
Class 1: Explosives: Needed by workers in mining, demolition, defense, pyrotechnics, and anyone involved in preparing or shipping explosive articles or devices.
Class 2: Gases: Required for employees handling compressed or liquefied gases, including those in manufacturing, welding supply, medical gas distribution, and chemical transport.
Class 3: Flammable Liquids: For workers who ship products like paints, fuels, solvents, cosmetics, or industrial chemicals that fall under flammable liquid classifications.
Class 4: Flammable Solids: Needed by personnel dealing with materials that may ignite easily, such as matches, metal powders, or chemically reactive solids.
Class 5: Oxidizers & Organic Peroxides: Required for workers shipping industrial chemicals, sterilizing agents, pool chemicals, or any materials that intensify combustion risks.
Class 6: Toxic & Infectious Substances: For laboratories, medical transport services, pharmaceutical companies, and anyone who ships diagnostic samples or hazardous medical substances.
Class 7: Radioactive Materials: Needed by nuclear medicine staff, radiopharmaceutical suppliers, industrial radiography services, and any organization shipping radioactive sources.
Class 8: Corrosives: Required for workers handling battery acid, cleaning agents, etching solutions, or other corrosive chemicals used in manufacturing and industrial processing.
Class 9: Miscellaneous: For employees who handle shipments like lithium batteries, environmentally hazardous substances, or other DG types that don’t fit into Classes 1–8.
Workers need class-specific training when the type of dangerous goods they handle has unique properties, packaging rules, or regulatory requirements that differ from general DG shipments.
Who Needs Battery and Cargo-Specific IATA Training?
Lithium batteries and mixed cargo shipments are subject to additional regulations due to their unique risks. Workers in electronics, e-commerce, and general freight handling frequently require these specialized courses.
Specialized Cargo Courses
IATA Battery Shipping Regulations (BSR): Needed for anyone handling lithium batteries, including packers and fulfillment staff
IATA General Cargo & DG Function-Specific Training: Ideal for workers handling mixed cargo where DG may be present
Lithium battery rules continue to tighten worldwide, so workers who regularly encounter them must stay updated to ensure safety.
Function-Specific IATA Training for Aviation Professionals
Aviation personnel, from loaders to screening staff, play a critical role in preventing undeclared or unsafe dangerous goods from entering the air transport system. Their responsibilities determine the specific type of DG awareness or handling training they need.
Aviation Training Options
Function-specific aviation training ensures these workers can recognize dangerous goods, mitigate risks, and follow correct procedures during operations.
How to Determine Which IATA Course You Need
The easiest way to figure out which IATA course fits you is to consider your day-to-day responsibilities. Your job duties, not your job title, ultimately determine your training requirements.
How to Match Training to Your Responsibilities
Identify whether you ship, pack, inspect, accept, or transport dangerous goods
Determine if your shipments require multimodal compliance (air, ground, and sea)
Confirm any employer, carrier, or regulatory requirements
When unsure, reference IATA DGR Section 1.5 or your workplace’s training matrix
Choose the course that most closely aligns with your DG responsibilities to ensure you meet all required safety and regulatory obligations.
Find The IATA DGR & Multimodal Training You Need Online
You can complete all your required training online in a flexible, self-paced format that fits your schedule. Online IATA training makes it easy to stay compliant without interrupting daily operations.
With 360training, learners get:
Mobile-friendly, self-paced training
Certificate and wallet card for proof of completion
Courses updated to match the latest IATA DGR
Trusted compliance provider since 1997
If you're ready to meet regulatory requirements and keep dangerous goods moving safely, explore our IATA and multimodal courses that match your role and enroll today!
