The Live Animals & Perishables Board (LAPB) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) met at their offices in Montreal, Canada on October 25-26 to discuss, among other things, the implementation of a time & temperature sensitive label for healthcare freight.
As IATA points out in the 7th Edition of the Perishable Cargo Regulations:
"Pharmaceutical manufacturers, freight forwarders and the airlines have a shared responsibility to provide and follow proper handling procedures."
(Chapter 17, section 9, page 202, pp.4)
To date, their is no required label or marking. However, IATA is strongly in favor of implementing a "communications label" (or series of labels similar to 17.9c, on page 203) to alert ramp handlers and other ground service personnel, of the urgency and temperature sensitivity of the cargo - apart from other perishable products.
I attended the proceedings at the invitation of the board to report my findings and feedback from this column, other publications and conferences in which the proposed label was presented and discussed in the bio-pharmaceutical industry sector, with emphasis on whether their was a need, and / or acceptance of such a communication.
Details of that discussion will be in a forthcoming article. The topic was debated for nearly 90 minutes among several international airline carriers. It is important that there is consensus among the airlines before adoption of a new marking/labeling.
When the subject came up for vote among the board, Gregg Pittelkow, chair of the LAPB stated: "it is resolved that agenda item C/3, Time & Temperature Sensitive Label Proposal, be withdrawn for future study and re-evaluation."
To voice your opinion, you can add a comment to this posting or contact the IATA LAPB officers directly. Their addresses are below.
Chair: gregg.pittelkow@nwa.com
Co-chair: carl.kole@ual.com
Secretary: RAEMDONKE@iata.org
