Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. CT It is more important than ever for companies that ship crude oil and flammable products to ensure they are compliant. In this webinar you will learn about: Proposed tank cars for North America. Compliance with DOT/TSA regulations – shipper and carrier requirements Exceptions taken by DOT inspectors…
UPS Imposes New Lithium Metal Battery Restrictions
In an action which is assuredly no April Fool’s jest, United Parcel Service (UPS) today announced new restrictions on and requirements for the transport of Lithium Metal Batteries. Effective July 1st, 2015, shipments of UN3090 Lithium Metal Batteries via UPS Airlines must receive pre-approval from UPS prior to shipment. The announcement indicates that this will…
Guest Blog: ‘Tis the Season For Deadlines — Annual Taxes Overlap with Regulation Changes
By Amanda Yerke, Logic Quantum There are only six weeks between the April 15th tax deadline and the June 1st OSHA deadline this year. The volume of paperwork, research, and regulatory red tape involved in both deadlines can be daunting for corporations. Fortunately, your extensive experience with the IRS may help you prepare for a timely…
PHMSA Announces Mandatory Compliance Date Extension to HM-224F for Non-Air Transport of Lithium Batteries
Announced via the website of the Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOT PHMSA): as a result of numerous stakeholder comments, PHMSA will respond to concerns regarding difficulty in achieving full compliance by the original date set forth in the timeline mandated by the August 6th, 2014 final rule. The agency announced…
Postal Service Revises Mailing Standards for Lithium Batteries
Keeping pace with U.S. DOT’s PHMSA (U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) the U.S. Postal Service announced changes to their respective hazardous materials standards affecting the safe transportation of lithium ion and lithium metal batteries. According to the Notice published in today’s Federal Register (January 26, 2015, Volume 80, No. 16,…
USDOT/PHMSA Releases Final Rule HM-215M, Harmonizing Requirements with UNMR, ICAO, IMDG Code Changes
In the January 8th 2015 edition of the US Federal Register, the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a final rule under Docket # PHMSA-2013-0260 (HM-215), RIN 2137-AF05 under which the agency sets forth specific changes to the US 49 CFR Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to harmonize…
NTSB Issues Safety Alert Regarding Adjacent LED/Incandescent Signal Aspects on American Railroads
The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a Safety Alert to railroads operating in the United States which cautions them about potential confusion or other risks associated with the presence of both LED and incandescent bulb type signal aspects placed adjacent to one another at rail junctions. Railroads are in the process…
The Changing Regulations Pertaining to the Transportation of Lithium Batteries
In August of 2014 the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) promulgated final rule HM-224F affecting the safe transport of lithium batteries[i]. DOT announced that the resultant effects from the revisions of HM-224F will “strengthen safety conditions for the shipment of lithium cells and batteries. These changes, some of which focus specifically on shipments by air,…
USDOT/FRA Issues Final Rule Mandating Improved Employee Training for Railroads, Contractors, Related Groups
On Friday, November 7th, 2014, the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a final rule mandating significant improvements to the way training and the documentation of training for both railroad employees and the employees of railroad industry contractors (i.e. track and infrastructure construction maintenance and other activities related to actual…
Identifying Non-hazardous Materials Effectively for Transport
The United States Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a major revision to the regulations governing hazard communication in the US 29 CFR 1910.1200 in May of 2012. The revision, which in large measure conformed US hazard communication standards, or the HCS, to those of the United Nations Globally Harmonized…