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We have struggled with this newsletter
for over a week. Nothing seemed appropriate.
Like most of the world, we watched
the senseless vicious attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
in disbelief. Living and working in the suburbs of New York City none
of our own staff members or their immediate families were at risk. Some
of our clients and individuals from our communities, our neighbors, were
not so lucky. We knew none of the poor victims in the Pentagon. But we
share the overwhelming sadness of families shattered by these tragedies.
Most of all, we cry for the children.
Thousands of children waited at
day care centers and schools for a parent who never failed to pick them
up after work each day.
Except for September 11, 2001.
On that day, other family members,
or friends of the families, or teachers, with tears streaming down their
faces, had to collect those children.
If you are related to, or personally
know, any of those children, please use the following link in order to
download an essay to those children from Kathie Scobee Fulgham, the daughter
of Dick Scobee, commander of the space shuttle Challenger on its final
mission, Jan. 28, 1986. She wrote this essay for Gannett News Service.
It appeared in the newspaper Florida Today on September 20. It may help
those children to better cope with their grief. Mrs. Fulgham walked that
same path.
http://www.floridatoday.com/news/space/stories/2001b/sep/spa092001a.htm
A well-worn phrase is that America,
and especially New York, is a melting pot. And surely it is. The only
native-born Americans are the members of our glorious Indian Nations,
rich in their own customs and cultures.
The rest of us, if we were born
in the U.S.A., have roots back to just about every nation on this planet
earth. Millions more have emigrated to this country from those nations
as well. Some came to the U.S.A. to escape religious or ethnic intolerance;
others to escape poverty or starvation; still others to secure an education
in order to improve their lives. And some came for the romance and adventure
of a different, divergent life. All would agree, there is no limit to
what you can achieve. Are we perfect? No. But we do strive to attain that
goal. And we all work at it every day.
Americans have extended their personal
rights, rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, to all who visit our
shores. How odd, that the terrorists were recipients of these acts of
kindness and rules of law and reciprocated with acts of murder.
For special assistance for the
children of the victims at the Pentagon and on the four passenger flights
involved in the September 11th massacre, if you wish to make a donation
please refer to the following website: http://www.libertyunites.org/s11cf.adp
New York State has set up a relief fund for the civilian and uniformed
victims of the tragedy. This fund is for the benefit of all the victims,
both injured and deceased, including innocent civilians, the dedicated
firefighters, policemen, Port Authority officers, Emergency Medical Personnel
and relief workers. The website is: http://www.helping.org/wtc/ny/nystate.htm
| Now,
back to the business of providing safety in transportation…..
This month's quiz deals with U.S. Environmental
issues - "RQ's". U.S. Transportation Law mandates that
the regulations concerning the transportation of environmentally
hazardous substances must be complied with both domestically and
internationally. Overseas shippers shipping into or through the
United States are required to comply with these regulations prior
to exporting certain chemicals from a foreign country. The European
Union, using a different format, also has very strict regulations
concerning the environment and we will cover those issues in future
newsletters.
Best feedback questions asked last month
(press here if you need to refer back to last
quiz)
Q.
Does an invoice from a training organization satisfy the FAA or
D.O.T. that an employee is going to be trained, and, hopefully mitigate
or eliminate a potential fine?
A. Probably not any more! The inspectors are sticklers for
paperwork. They do ask training organizations from time to
time to fax copies of records for certain companies. They have been
known to question photocopies so we suggest that you keep the original
records on file at the worksite.
Q. Does a training
certificate or certificate of attendance satisfy the training record
requirements?
A. Probably not, since most certificates merely state that
you attended a course. If it spells out the material covered, certifies
that the employee passed a written test, describes the training
materials that were used, and is counter-signed by the instructor
and the employer, it will pass muster. A fancy certificate all by
itself won't hack it. Pay close attention to those details!
Q. If U.S. Customs
seizes my hazardous materials shipment will they release it back
to me if I promise not to ship it?
A. No! They will require training records that will ensure that
the shipment will be corrected and a paper trail to the destination
will be generated. You still pay the fine (usually $27,500.00) and
storage charges and other penalties. U.S. Customs is kind of like
the IRS, your credit card company, and your bank - the charges and
fees keep piling up.
Q. When I got my
IATA Agency Agreement I only had to train two employees at each
location. Does that satisfy the U.S. D.O.T.?
A. No! You forgot to read the fine print - the 2 employees
satisfied IATA that you were "on the way" to training
all of your employees (see IATA Section 1.5 - there is no magic
number "2"). IATA cannot enforce the rule to train all
of your employees involved in handling dangerous goods. IATA is
a trade group or "association" with no official status
as an enforcement agency. In the U.S.A. you are required to observe
U.S. Transportation Law. USDOT mandates that a hazmat employer must
train all of its hazmat employees. Wherever the U.S. does not have
jurisdiction you must comply with the U.N./I.C.A.O. or I.M.O. regulations
that have been adopted as Law in the countries that have ratified
the U.N. Recommendations, i.e., most of the members of the United
Nations.
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for the answer!