Air carrier flight crew reported their failure to notify Dispatch of hazmat cargo prior to gate departure which resulted in the undocumented transport of hazmat cargo.
Synopsis
Air carrier flight crew reported their failure to notify Dispatch of hazmat cargo prior to gate departure which resulted in the undocumented transport of hazmat cargo.
Narrative
Flight Crew failed to insure Dispatch was notified of HAZMAT was dictated on the flight release. HAZMAT carried was an evacuation slide. Ramp Agent handed the HAZMAT form directly to me as the Captain. I asked what it was and signed the form. I believe it was near departure time when this transpired and possibly interrupted a briefing or a checklist. Therefore; it likely got dismissed and the procedure to contact Dispatch or amend the Release got forgotten.This problem can be easily solved with an additional party verification of HAZMAT on board in the loop. That being the operation agent. Having ramp agent go directly to the operation agent; who then is notified to contact Dispatch for the amendment. The operation agent then brings down the HAZMAT form with an amended release or notification to the Captain to contact Dispatch for pen and ink change for expediency. In this case; the ramp agent went directly to the Captain; bypassing the operation agent; who is a key member in the loop to insure the flights safety. Yes it's the Captain's ultimate responsibility; but changing the protocol to where the Captain deals directly with the operation agent on matters vs directly with the ramp agent. This can help minimize errors and add an extra crucial teammate to the loop of checks and balances. Ramp agent; operation agent; Dispatch; then Captain should be notified in that order for best efficiency in order to get the flight out on time with minimal notification errors.
Second reporter narrative
At the gate in ZZZ; some last minute HAZMAT (raft or life vest I believe) was loaded into the cargo without calling Dispatch and getting the Release amended. We did everything else correctly except amended the release under the remarks section.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.