From lithium batteries to GHS to crude oil by rail, 2015 was one eventful year in the world of Dangerous Goods shipping regulations. Manufacturers, shippers, carriers and consultants alike have been working overtime just to keep up. This issue of the Dangerous Goods Report reviews the impact of DG regulations over the past year—and looks…
Lithium battery packaging strives to reduce fire risks
“Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.” King Lear – William Shakespeare Or to put it in the modern vernacular, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” This is the aphorism that came to mind during my presentation of a new and novel Labelmaster packaging solution at a mini-symposium of lithium battery packaging…
FAA to develop task force addressing drone registrations
Drone operators in the U.S. are going to be impacted by some big regulatory changes in the near future. Drones, referred to as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), currently are not to be operated within 5 miles of an airport without notifying the airport operator/control tower, and are limited to an altitude of 400 feet. The…
D.O.T. moves to ban e-Cigs in checked bags
On October 26, 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an interim final rule banning passengers and crew from storing electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other battery-powered electronic smoking devices in checked bags on passenger airlines. This final ruling will be effective seven days after the upcoming posting…
Infographic | 2015 Regulations in Review
Emergency orders and advisories? Check. Airlines making their own rules? Check. Congress playing politics with key deadlines? No surprise to anyone who’s worked in the world of DG shipping regulations for more than 15 minutes. We know there’s only one constant—change. Download a printable PDF of the Infographic | 2015 Regulations in Review…
IATA Lithium Battery workshop concludes; undeclared and non-compliant shipments pose biggest risks
Last week, I was part of the Labelmaster team that attended the Lithium Battery workshop hosted by IATA in Montreal. For those of us who’ve been following the twists and turns of the regulations governing the air transport of lithium batteries, we might be forgiven for thinking there would be nothing new to see and…
EPA revises pesticide protection regulations for agricultural workers
On September 28, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that they have completed the much anticipated revisions to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) found in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR) Part 170, ensuring that agricultural workers will have similar health protections as workers in other industries. The plan to…
Do complex hazmat regulations drive you to UN 3065?
Then you’ll love sharing these DG eCards on Twitter! What are DG eCards? They’re amusing little comments with graphics that poke a bit of fun at our business—especially people who don’t take Dangerous Goods as seriously as they should. What do you do with them? Just select your favorite card and click on the link…
ICAO to launch new aircraft tracking website
On September 22, 2015, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced the addition of a new portion of their website devoted to a centralized collection of aircraft tracking information. The new information section of ICAO’s public website was created in response to recommendations from ICAO Member States in February of this year at the High…
August Survey Results — DG Heroes
Thank you to those who participated in our August Survey on Dangerous Goods. Some of the questions were meant to spark a chuckle, some were more serious. You delivered way beyond our expectations! With that, we would like to share a few of the best and all the rest full results at bottom of…