June is here and the summer heat is increasing. Be sure to keep an eye on employees working outdoors or in non-air-conditioned spaces. Easy to get into heat related illness trouble. Safety first! Here’s the week’s still rather minimal news:
PHMSA
The agency has published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that asks for comment from stakeholders in relation to changes that might be made to the HMR to, in the ANPRM’s words, “eliminate undue burdens on the identification, development, and use of domestic energy resources and to improve government efficiency.” Comments are due by August 4th. See the ANPRM here:
The agency published an ICR renewal related to its Occupational Noise Standard. OSHA rules require businesses to limit the exposure of employees to excessive noisy environments. See the ICR here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
A very limited blog today to begin the month of June. The regulatory world had a quiet week last week. Here’s the latest news:
FMCSA
The agency issued a modifying rule to its civil penalties structure. The rule changes how the agency will assess potential civil penalties in relation to its drug and alcohol testing programs for commercial drivers. See the change here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
This edition of the DG Digest appears consonant with the Memorial Day holiday; the Labelmaster family joins all Americans in honoring the fallen members of our armed forces who sacrificed their lives for our nation. May we never forget.
Here is this week’s news:
Transport Canada
The Ministry published an advisory reiterating to affected stakeholders the requirement to install a revised identification plate to any railroad tank car modified from its original performance standard. The advisory emphasizes this requirement in particular as it applies to DOT 111 tank cars refitted to the newer DOT 117 safety standard. See the advisory here:
While not specifically related to dangerous goods, the US Postal Service has incorporated its new domestic and international mailing manuals by reference into its governing regulatory standards. Publication 52 still governs DG specific issues. See the incorporations here:
The agency has delayed the compliance date for its new Methylene Chloride Standard by eighteen months to allow for further review and revision. Methylene Chloride is a hazardous industrial chemical often used in plastics manufacturing. See the action here:
The agency renewed an ICR related to its Respirator Standard. Respirators are used in many industrial activities and their use as well as employee training related to it are governed by OSHA. See the ICR here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
It’s mid-May and great time to remind everyone again about the importance of severe weather planning for your workplace and residence. The nation just had a large outbreak of very serious storm activity across much of the Midwest and Plains states. May is the statistically most probable month for such storms to occur. As such, HSE professionals need to take steps to keep their fellow employees alert and safe, ready to react if and when such weather becomes a threat at your site. Keep those emergency plans dusted off, up to date, and ready to go. When a storm is actually coming is the wrong time to wonder what to do. In the meantime, here this week’s regulatory news:
Executive Order 14294
In a new executive order (EO), the president directs regulatory agencies to, in its words, “disfavor” criminal prosecution of regulatory offenses, directing agencies to instead seek civil actions. The EO additionally disfavors pursuing strict liability offenses. It also places new limits on how alleged violators are to be held responsible based on their knowledge or lack thereof of the regulations to which their activity is subject. See the full EO here:
A new NPRM proposes to reinstate and expound upon procedural reforms for the Department’s rulemakings, guidance documents, and enforcement actions rescinded by a final rule published by the Department on April 2, 2021, ‘‘Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures.’’ Accordingly, this proposed rule would revise and update the Department’s internal policies and procedures relating to the issuance of rulemaking documents. In addition, this NPRM proposes updates to the Department’s procedural requirements governing the review and clearance of guidance documents, and the initiation and conduct of enforcement actions, including administrative enforcement proceedings and judicial enforcement actions brought in Federal court. See the NPRM here:
The agency published an ICR renewal related to its Electronic Logging Device (ELD) program for commercial motor vehicles. These devices replace the older written logbooks for required driver records. See the ICR here:
The agency published an ICR related to its Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories Standard. Part of Federal Right-To Know regulations, the standard requires employers to track chemical use and exposures in research environments. See the ICR here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
Sunday was Mother’s Day! Hopefully all the Moms out there had a chance to relax and get pampered a little. It’s a tough job! Here’s this week’s regulatory news:
PHMSA
After a bit of a slow start this year, PHMSA is busy rolling out Special Permit actions. Here’s the latest batch. See the three links:
The Ministry released the latest in a whole sequence of helpful guidance documents. This new one relates to placing labels and markings on “small means of containment” (i.e. non-bulk packages). These guidance documents do not change the regulations, but instead provide information about how to successfully comply with them. See the new guidance here:
Dangerous goods marks on a small means of containment
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
Welcome to May! Hopefully, most of us will get to enjoy the spring flowers that April showers presage. However, May is also the statistically most active month for tornado activity in the continental US. So, it is a good month to keep an eye on the sky and to ensure that your workplace’s emergency shelter plan is up to date and that employees know their role if it becomes necessary to enact the plan. Meanwhile, here’s the last week’s regulatory news:
IATA
The Association has published an update, or addendum to the 66th edition of the DGR. The update is relatively minor, consisting mostly of revisions to state and carrier limitations. There is also some updates applied in the realm of sodium ion batteries—close chemical cousins to lithium ion batteries and treated similarly under the same packing instructions. For example, Section II training requirements are revised to include them. The DGL is also updated with sodium batteries assigned to certain special provisions. Other DGL edits include the reinsertion of certain Class 8 corrosives. See the full addendum here:
The agency released a new Letter of Interpretation (LOI) in response to a request for clarification regarding the suitability (or lack thereof) of certain types of non-rigid packaging (such as plastic bags) when used with consumer goods that themselves are placed in rigid retail packages when being shipped as Limited Quantities. The gist of the LOI is that the onus of determining suitability is up to the offeror, however PHMSA also cautions against assuming that any given package may or may not be suitable, instead noting that such situations must be judged on a case basis. See the LOI here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
The last full week of April was a quiet one in the regulatory world, with minimal news. See the latest below:
USDOT
The department has published a new organizational chart outlining the changes in leadership and responsibility that are in place now that the transition of administrations is complete. See the new chart at the link here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
The busy holiday weekend has ended, and the nation is rolling into the heart of spring weather. That often means significant severe weather threats in many areas, so if your workplace is located in such an area, be sure that your safety plan is up to date and your employees know what to do to shelter and respond. Meanwhile, here’s this week’s regulatory news:
PHMSA
The agency has released a new registration information packet and form to use. If your business is subject to the registration requirements, check it out here:
The agency has changed the method under which Letters of Interpretation (LOI) are to be considered and issued. The new process allows for a thirty day public comment period for stakeholders—a significant change. Find more information here:
The Ministry published a new guidance bulletin explaining the relationship between dangerous goods classes and their various marking and labeling requirements. See the new guidance bulletin here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
Regulatory activity is still tending towards being relatively minimal this spring. However, hopefully everyone is getting a chance to enjoy the warmer weather! Here’s the latest news:
Transport Canada
A new edition of the followingstandard has been developed by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) and was published in April 2025:
CAN/CGSB-43.150-2025 “Design, manufacture and use of UN standardized drums, jerricans, boxes, bags, combination packaging and other packagings for the transport of dangerous goods, casses 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, and 9”.
The agency published an ICR renewal in reference to its Lead Standard in General Industry. While no longer used in paint, many older buildings and materials may have lead-based coatings still applied and care must be used in its removal and disposal. See the ICR here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
This week’s regulatory news is somewhat overshadowed by the larger news on the international trade front, which as everyone is almost certainly already aware, is in a state of considerable flux. What impacts may or may not occur in reference to that in relation to dangerous goods shippers is of course also in flux. Stay tuned here for all the latest. Meanwhile, here’s the rest of the week’s news:
PHMSA
The agency issued a notice of enforcement discretion as it relates to the HM-263 final rule of June 2024. This rule requires rail carriers to provide to requesting emergency response agencies much more comprehensive real-time data on dangerous goods shipments in transit over their networks. The enforcement discretion, in practical terms delays required implementation of the new rule until June of 2026. Rail carriers maintain that they need more time to prepare their networks to be able to provide the data. See the details here:
As part of its implementation of policy issued by the president, the agency seeks comments and information to assist it in what it says will be “…identifying existing regulations and other regulatory obligations that can be modified or repealed to achieve meaningful burden reduction.” Comments are requested on or before May 5, 2025. See full details of this initiative here:
The Ministry published a warning document advising stakeholders about the potential presence of non-compliant Oxygen and or Acetylene cylinders in welding kits. See full details of the safety advisory here:
Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
