Operator’s responsibilities
7.—(1) The operator of an aircraft in or under which any package of dangerous goods or unit load device containing dangerous goods is to be carried shall ensure by means of an inspection that:
(a)the package is marked and labelled in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations, such provisions of Chapter 11 of Part 2 and Part 3 as relate to marking and labelling and Chapters 2 and 3 of Part 4 of the Technical Instructions before accepting the package;
(b)the package is not leaking or damaged so that the contents may escape:
(i)before accepting the package;
(ii)before loading or causing the package to be loaded on board the aircraft or before suspending or causing the package to be suspended beneath the aircraft, as the case may be;
(iii)upon unloading the package from or from beneath the aircraft;
(c)the unit load device is free from any evidence of leakage from or damage to any dangerous goods contained therein before loading or causing the unit load device to be loaded on board the aircraft or before suspending or causing the unit load device to be suspended beneath the aircraft, as the case may be.
(2) (a) For the purpose of each of the inspections required by paragraphs (1)(a) and (1)(b)(i) an acceptance check list shall be used and the results of that inspection shall be recorded in accordance with the form thereof.
(b)The acceptance check list shall be in such form and shall provide for the entry of such details as will enable the relevant inspection to be fully and accurately made by reference to and completion of that list.
(c)The operator of an aircraft shall preserve for not less than six months a record of any acceptance check list completed in accordance with this regulation. The record may be in a legible or a non-legible form so long as the recording is capable of being reproduced in a legible form.
(3) The operator shall not load or cause to be loaded on an aircraft or suspend or cause to be suspended beneath an aircraft any package of dangerous goods or unit load device containing dangerous goods which on inspection is found to be leaking or damaged so that the contents or the dangerous goods therein may escape or be damaged.
(4) The operator shall unload or cause to be unloaded any package of dangerous goods which appears to be leaking or damaged on board or beneath an aircraft and shall ensure that other cargo or baggage loaded on or suspended beneath that aircraft is in a fit state for carriage by air and has not been contaminated.
(5) The operator shall after unloading inspect for signs of damage or contamination any part of the aircraft, or any sling or other apparatus which has been used to suspend goods beneath the aircraft, in which:
(a)a unit load device containing dangerous goods was stowed, or
(b)any damaged or leaking package of dangerous goods was loaded,
and the operator shall remove or repair any contamination or damage.
(6) The operator of an aircraft shall not permit it to fly for the purpose of carrying passengers or cargo if he knows or suspects radioactive materials to have leaked in or contaminated the aircraft or any sling or other apparatus attached to the aircraft unless the radiation level resulting from the fixed contamination at any accessible surface and the non-fixed contamination are not more than the values specified in Chapter 3.2 of Part 5 of the Technical Instructions.