Feb 9th – China In overseas news, the Transport Ministry of the People’s Republic of China has published new guidelines reinforcing the safety of handling of explosives, ammonia, and other materials of high concern at its ports of entry. The work comes after last summer’s deadly fire and explosions in the Chinese port city of…
DG Digest: Star Wars criminal complaint, TDGR harmonization, and so much more!
The run-up to Valentine’s Day was not without interest in the world of Dangerous Goods and EH&S. Among the many highlights in a rather eventful week: February 9 The FRA issued a new rule regarding improved window glazing strength in all new locomotives and passenger carrying cars. The action comes as increased focus on railroad…
DG Digest: More Lithium Battery News, PHMSA Special Permits and FRA Fines Hit Record Heights
Several items of note occurred in the DG world last week, with new and revised regulations affecting everything from Limited Quantities to Lithium Batteries and a vital Federal Agency noting that its enforcement penalties were way up: ICAO/IATA Lithium Battery Rules Changes Both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association…
Federal Register publishes HM-233F revisions to the HMR
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) yesterday published the newest rulemaking under its HM-233 Docket family. This incorporates various aspects of previously issued Special Permits (SP’s) into the body of the regulations. Specials Permits are administrative actions that grant specific users permission to do something outside of…
IATA DGR Update: Everything you know about lithium battery shipping may change
Shippers are still coming to grips with the recent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) addendum, which among other changes, established the first-ever state-of-charge limitation on air transport of lithium batteries. Then, on Saturday, January 16th, the International Air transport Association (IATA) released an addendum to 57th edition of the Dangerous Goods Regulations, commonly referred to as…
New Year, New Revisions to DG Regulations for IATA and IMO
As often occurs at the turn of the year, both the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have released updates to their respective Dangerous Goods Regulations. In the case of the IATA regulations, much of it has to do with revisions to rules surrounding lithium batteries. Please see our relevant…
DG Digest: FMCSA lowers truckers’ substance test rates, will hold FAST sessions; FRA begins PTC data collection
December 24: FMCSA cuts random truckers’ testing rate for substance abuse to 25%. Good news for truck drivers and carriers—the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has cut the random testing rate for substance abuse in half, from 50% to 25%. This should produce a nice savings for carriers,…
USDOT/FMCSA announces delay to new Medical Exam Report and Certificate compliance date
Today the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) formally made the anticipated announcement of which rumor had circulated in the regulatory community for the last several days. FMCSA offered a “grace period” of 120 days regarding mandatory use of the new Medical Examination Report (MER) (Federal Form MCSA-5875) and…
ICAO proposing even more changes to lithium battery rules for air shipment
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) held its semi-annual meeting in Montreal, Canada earlier this month. Among many issues discussed there were further changes that may affect shippers and carriers of lithium batteries. This commodity has been under the spotlight for several years now on account of the sometimes-volatile transport incidents that have come to…
New OSHA Letter of Interpretation clarifies Import/Export issues under the HCS
On November 23rd, 2015 the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) released a Letter of Interpretation (LOI) which offered further clarification of US companies’ responsibilities when importing or exporting materials which require action under the 29 CFR 1910.1200 Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). This standard was revised in 2012 to harmonize it with the UN Globally…