In 2016, the GT Dangerous Goods Shipping Program participated in a voluntary third party audit conducted by MMA Environmental. The purpose of the audit was to verify that the program meets all regulatory requirements and determine if there are any ways the program could be improved to better support the missions of the GT research community. Part of the audit exercise involved interviews with principal investigators and researchers that ship through the program.

Below are the major findings and action items that EHS is currently pursuing for program improvement:

• We passed! The auditors examined the policies and procedures under which we have been operating. They found that our program meets the requirements of all applicable regulations.

• Issues Dropping Off Packages: The movement of the EHS offices to the periphery of campus presents challenges in getting material to EHS for shipment. To ease this, we’ve added a daily drop-off location on the Bio Quad from 11-11:30 AM at the ES&T Loading Dock. We also posted an easy to use phone list on our front door at 793 Marietta St. to ensure researchers are not stuck outside of our building with shipments.

• MTA Process Issues: During interviews, many end-users voiced dissatisfaction with the Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) process; stating that it took too long, and challenged whether it was even necessary in a large number of cases. We have collaborated with GTRC to examine and improve this process. The new process will be posted soon to the EHS webpage.

• Notice Time Issues: Some believed that requiring 24 hours before shipping (EHS current policy) did not provide a desired level of support.  A 24 hour notice is preferred for shipments, however, we can handle emergency shipments on occasion. The notice is a professional courtesy and ensures that we have the resources on hand to prepare shipments to go out on time.

• Need for Training Expiration Reminders: The online Shipment of Dangerous Goods Tutorial has moved to a new training data management system called Rostertech. This system will send automatic email reminders when your trainings are approaching their expiration date.

• Overall Program Improvement Efforts: We are working on major program improvements to streamline and simplify the process while improving communications with the research community. Be on the lookout for better instructions/guidance on our website, updated online training module, and better-quality forms.

As we could not interview all end-users of the shipping program, we openly welcome any further input or suggestions. Please email us at shipping@ehs.gatech.edu with your ideas, concerns or questions about the program.