Policies and Procedures

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF THE DANGEROUS GOODS TRAINERS ASSOCIATION, Inc.

The Dangerous Goods Trainers Association, Inc. (DGTA) sponsors and promotes the development of an independent worldwide voluntary certification system for professional instructors in dangerous goods transportation. The Association provides a forum for its members who subscribe to published standards, a professional code of ethics, and demonstrate expert subject knowledge and superior communication skills.

DGTA is a self-governing committee within the National Environmental, Safety, and Health Training Association (NESHTA). The operation of this Association is directed by the Bylaws of NESHTA and guided by operating policies and procedures adopted by the DGTA Board of Directors.

This is a compilation of the DGTA operating policies and procedures and is intended to educate DGTA members and ensure smooth association business.

  1. Article I — Name
  2. Article II — Objective, purposes and responsibilities
  3. Article III — Membership
  4. Article IV — Board of Directors
  5. Article V — Meetings
  6. Article VI — Other Committees
  7. Article VII — Amendments
  8. Article VIII— Antitrust Policy

Article I — Name

The name of this organization shall be Dangerous Goods Trainers Association, Inc. (DGTA) and shall operate as a self-governing committee of the National Environmental Safety and Health Training Association (NESHTA).

Return to top

Article II — Objective, purposes and responsibilities

The objectives, purposes, and responsibilities of the Dangerous Goods Trainers Association, Inc. shall be to:

  1. Provide a forum for members for discussion and education on national and international regulations, as these relate to training for dangerous goods transportation
  2. Facilitate the development of an accredited international voluntary certification system for dangerous goods transportation trainers
  3. Promote national and international standards for training on dangerous goods transportation
  4. Promote the acquisition of professional training skills by its members
  5. Promote continuing professional development for all dangerous goods transportation trainers

Return to top

Article III — Membership

  1. Membership shall be available to all persons working or having an interest in dangerous goods transportation training.
  2. All members shall have the right to vote in matters requiring a vote by the association, except as specified otherwise in these Policies and Procedures.
  3. So long as DGTA remains an independent committee of NESHTA, all members shall automatically also be members of NESHTA.

Return to top

Article IV — Board of Directors

  1. Composition, Nominations and Appointments
    1. The Board of Directors, including its officers as defined below, shall comprise no fewer than five (5) nor more than seven (7) persons, all of whom must be members of the association.
    2. It shall be the objective of the association to nominate and elect Board members representative of the various disciplines and geographic areas within the membership, while recognizing that this may not always be possible.
    3. Nominations to the Board shall be made by the members. In the absence of nominations at the time of any Board election, the Board shall have the right to appoint or re-appoint its members.
    4. The Board of Directors shall elect its own officers from among the members of the Board, past Board members, and/or the membership at large.
  2. Elections
    1. Elections shall be held annually, prior to the annual meeting of the association. In the absence of more nominations than the number of vacant Board positions, elections shall be deemed unnecessary, deferred to the next year, and those nominated shall assume a position on the Board.
    2. In elections, members may vote for nominees in a number equal to the number of vacancies on the Board, with no more than one vote for each Board vacancy.
    3. All voting shall be by secret ballot, or electronic ballot controlled by the staff of the association or NESHTA. A simple majority only is needed for success in all voting, unless specified otherwise in these Policies and Procedures. Results of the voting will be included in the minutes.
  3. Responsibilities
    1. The Board of Directors shall develop and oversee the execution of these Policies and Procedures, and, in general, direct the affairs of association. The Board may delegate to staff, members or committees of the Board, or other members or committees specific responsibilities on its behalf.
    2. Delegated responsibilities shall be subject to review and approval by the entire Board at its next meeting.
  4. Board Terms of Office
    1. Board members shall be elected to serve a four (4) year term, for no more than two (2) consecutive terms. Board members who have served two consecutive terms shall be eligible for re-nomination and election to the Board following a one (1) term (4 years) hiatus from Board service. If a board member has served one or more terms that are less than 4 years in length, the board member may run for a third term as long as the total time on the board does not exceed 10 years in total.
  5. Officers and Terms of Office
    1. The officers shall be Chair, Vice Chair, and Past Chair, all of whom must be members of the association. Officers shall be eligible for re-election for no more than one (1) additional year during any period of service. The secretarial function will be a roving function. Each board member who is not board chairperson will take a turn serving as meeting secretary for a total of at least 2 times per year.
    2. Once elected, the term of the Chair and Past Chair shall be according to the term of the office, not the regular Board nomination and election cycle.
    3. If the office of Chair becomes vacant for any reason, the Vice Chair shall become Chair for the remainder of the term, and a new Vice Chair elected unless the board unanimously agrees to a different chair, in which case the vice chair will remain in that position.
    4. The Chair shall be the executive head of the association and exercise the functions generally associated with that office, including all appointments with the advice and consent of the Board. The Chair shall preside at, and conduct all meetings, and shall represent, or designate a representative for the association at other events and occasions as required.
    5. The roving secretary will keep records of the Board meetings. Each Board member, who is not the board chairperson, will serve as secretary for at least two meetings per year, whether at a Board meeting or a general membership meeting. Their duties will be to record the minutes of the meetings of the association, provide the Board with a report of the minutes, and send a summary to the membership.
  6. Executive Committee
    1. The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors shall comprise the Chair, Vice Chair, and Past Chair, and may include by selection of the Board one (1) other member of the Board.
    2. The duties of the Executive Committee are to manage the general affairs of the Board, as determined by the Board in its meetings, over the time between Board meetings, and in situations in which decisions must be made and a Special Board Meeting is not possible or practical. All actions and decisions of the Executive Committee shall be subject to subsequent review and approval by the full Board.
    3. The Executive Committee shall confer prior to association meetings to develop the meeting agenda, recommendations for actions, and any other matters relevant to the association.

Return to top

Article V — Meetings

  1. Annual and Member Meetings
    1. One meeting of the association each year shall be designated as the annual meeting of the association.
    2. Member meetings may be scheduled at varying times, frequencies, and at national and international locations chosen to the extent possible for the convenience of the members. As a general principle, meetings will be scheduled whenever possible in conjunction with other meetings commonly attended by the members. Other than a designated annual meeting, there shall be no required number of meetings each calendar year.
  2. Board of Director Meetings
    1. The Board of Directors shall meet just prior to or following the annual and member meetings of the association. The Board’s annual meeting shall coincide with the annual meeting of the association.
  3. Special Meetings
    1. Special meetings may be called by Executive Committee or the Board of Directors, as deemed necessary for the execution of the affairs of the association.
  4. Open Meetings and Procedures
    1. In accordance with the laws of the State of Arizona, the corporate headquarters of NESHTA, all meetings must be open to all members, including NESHTA members who are not also members of DGTA, and invited non-member guests.
    2. The conduct of meetings shall be orderly, following a published agenda but allowing full expression of views by all persons in attendance. Guests may speak, but may be limited to an appropriate time limit as determined by the Chair. The Board shall strive to reach all decisions through a consensus process, resorting to formal voting only when a consensus is not possible.
  5. Notice of Meetings
    1. Notice of the annual meeting and member meetings of the association shall be published to the membership by any conventional means (e-mail, web site notice, letter, etc.) at least thirty days prior to the event.
    2. Notice of Board, committee or task group, and special meetings of all kinds shall be published to the membership by any conventional means at least ten days prior to the event.
  6. Quorum
    1. For annual and member meetings, except as provided in sub-paragraph B, below, a quorum shall be established by the attendance of a minimum of ten percent (10%) of the members of record at the time of the published announcement of the meeting.
    2. If an Annual membership meeting is held in conjunction with the Annual Conference of the Association, then twenty five percent (25%) of the members who are registered at such conference shall constitute a quorum.
    3. For Board, committee and task group meetings, a quorum shall be established by the attendance of at least fifty percent (50%) of the group’s members.
  7. Staff Representation
    1. An officially designated NESHTA staff or designated member shall, whenever possible, attend association meetings for the purposes of participation as required and to monitor proceeding for purposes of assisting in the goals and objectives of the association, including regulatory compliance. Reasonable travel and living expenses for the NESHTA representative staff shall be reimbursed from the association-designated funds.

Return to top

Article VI — Other Committees

  1. Examination Development Committee
    1. The Chair shall appoint a committee chair and volunteers to an Examination Development Committee, for the purpose of developing a voluntary certification system to include candidate eligibility and qualifications, tests, and periodic re-certification requirements.
    2. The volunteers appointed to this committee need not be members of the association, and public participation shall be encouraged to the maximum extent practicable.
  2. Other Committees and Task Groups
    1. As the needs of the association develop, the Board of Directors may recommend and the Chair appoint other standing or ad hoc committees or task groups, including a chairperson for each such committee or task group. As a general principle, standing committees shall be kept to the minimum necessary for the sound functioning of the association, and ad hoc committees or task groups assigned for the life of specific projects or activities.
    2. Each committee or task group shall schedule and hold meetings necessary for the conduct of its business. A report shall be made by the committee or task group chair at association or Board meetings, as appropriate.
    3. The conduct of committee and task group meetings shall be orderly, following a published agenda but allowing full expression of views by all persons in attendance. Guests may speak, but may be limited to an appropriate time limit as determined by the committee or task group chair. Committees and task groups shall strive to reach all decisions through a consensus process, resorting to formal voting only when a consensus is not possible.

Return to top

Article VII — Amendments

  1. Amendments to these Policies and Procedures may be made by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at any time, providing that a draft of the proposed amendments are published to the membership at least thirty days prior to the date of proposed effectiveness. In the event of substantive comment or objections to the proposed amendments by the members, the Board will review their amendment with a view towards a need to accommodate the comments or objections, and re-issue the amendments following the same procedure.
  2. If, in the opinion of the Board comments and objections to proposed amendments are trivial, irrelevant, or contrary to the proper, appropriate, ethical or legal conduct of the affairs of the association, the Board shall have no obligation to follow those comments or objections.

Return to top

Article VIII — Antitrust policy

  1. At every Board, annual or member meeting, and committee or task group meetings, attendees shall be reminded of the need for strict compliance with the antitrust laws. It shall be the special responsibility of Committee Chairs to ensure that this policy is known and adhered to in the course of activities pursued under their leadership.
  2. Each member shall have the personal responsibility of familiarizing themselves with the relevant antitrust laws and restrictions placed upon them by these laws, and shall not look to association for specific guidance or relief in this regard.

Return to top