The e-commerce industry has been one of the few beneficiaries of this year’s COVID-19 pandemic. In the second quarter of 2020, e-commerce sales were up 44.4% over the same quarter in 2019. All signs indicate that this year’s holiday season will see another giant surge in e-commerce deliveries. And some of the fastest-growing, most popular…
Chinese hazmat regulations explained! More notes from the 2020 DG Symposium.
Two recent sessions at the all-virtual 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium explored two of the more complex issues faced by global hazmat transport operations: Chinese regulations and effective training. Not only are Chinese Dangerous Goods regulations often more restrictive than those in Europe or the U.S.—their regulatory structure can be baffling, too. Yet the continued growth…
An explosive finish to Lithium Battery Week at the 2020 DG Symposium
The final two sessions of Lithium Battery Week at the 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium were explosive, in different ways. One session featured carriers, regulators, industry reps and top trainers squaring off on the hottest topic in hazmat transport, and other featured video of batteries actually blowing up. Here’s a brief recap. Let’s watch lithium batteries…
Who’s charged up? It’s Lithium Battery Week at the 2020 DG Symposium!
Over the years, the most popular day of the Dangerous Goods Symposium has been Lithium Battery Day. Everyone’s favorite Class 9 Miscellaneous material always seems to make the most news, stir up the most controversy and inspire the most teeth-gnashing. This year, with the Symposium taking place virtually at the new DG Exchange, we were…
Dangerous Goods Symposium preview: Competence, compliance and explosives
This year’s Dangerous Goods Symposium, for obvious reasons, won’t assemble the world’s leading trainers, shippers and regulators together for three days in the same physical space. But it will still bring the world’s hazmat shipping community together. This year, you can experience the Symposium at the new DG Exchange—the Dangerous Goods industry’s first digital community.…
How to evaluate and evolve your Dangerous Goods training program—part 2
Last week, we shared strategies from leading Dangerous Goods trainers for evaluating hazmat training programs to determine when they need updating. Here are some powerful tips for evolving your training program to match your current operation—and preparing it for future growth. If 2020 has proved anything, it’s that businesses must always be ready to adapt…
How to evaluate and evolve your Dangerous Goods training program—part 1
There are two reasons every organization that handles Dangerous Goods must conduct DG training: Regulations require that hazmat employees receive function-specific hazmat training. Training helps employees do their jobs better, which makes hazmat shipping safer and more efficient. Most businesses in the hazmat supply chain recognize that #2 is even more important than #1, and…
Three ways we can help hazmat operations handle change and uncertainty
Raise your hand if you love change and uncertainty! Yeah, that’s what we thought. Unfortunately, the first half of 2020 has brought about more change and uncertainty than any organization in the Dangerous Goods supply chain ever wants to deal with. It can be overwhelming. Are you facing challenges you never imagined a few weeks…
Our design critic picks his top 7 social distancing and sanitizing signs
It’s been a while since we heard from design critic Stewart D.O. North, but he recently reached out to share his opinions on our new line of social distancing and hand sanitizing safety signs. North, of course, is no ordinary critic. He’s also a hazmat aficionado who’s written detailed critiques of hazmat labels and floor…
Labelmaster hazmat packaging innovations banish “Paint Can Hell,” make shipping bigger lithium batteries easier.
Who thought it was a good idea to ship volatile hazmat items in paint cans? Certainly no one who’s ever painted their living room. First you need a screwdriver or a special “key” to pry the lid off the can, and it takes so much effort you end up sloshing some out onto the floor.…