Every fall, we invite everyone who attends the Dangerous Goods Symposium (and lots of other hazmat pros) to answer one simple question: If you could wish for one thing in the entire Dangerous Goods galaxy, what would it be? Now, for the third straight year, we’ve compiled those answers to kick off our year with…
Why the new lithium battery test summary rules are nothing to stress out about
On January 1, 2020, a new regulation goes into effect that will impact every organization that manufactures or distributes lithium batteries and/or the equipment they power. These companies will be required to share information, known as a “test summary,” that proves their batteries meet the testing standards as defined in sub-section 38.3 of the UN…
How “extreme” labels and placards are becoming real-world solutions
Because Mother Nature has no respect for your Dangerous Goods compliance record, we introduced hazmat labels, placards and marks for extreme conditions a few months ago…
A 6-step recipe for successful lithium battery reverse logistics
Among the many complications of our new e-commerce world, reverse logistics may be the most headache-inducing. In a recent Reverse Logistics article, I wrote that, “products bought at brick-and-mortar stores are returned around 9% of the time, while the return rate for online purchases is nearly three time higher.” Most of those millions of returns…
How much do new civil penalties for hazmat violations actually cost you?
As Labelmaster Staff Regulatory Specialist Nikki Burgess reported a couple of weeks back, many federal agencies recently raised their civil penalties about 2.5% for Dangerous Goods regulatory citations. In other words, any compliance errors you make will now cost you a little more. Update! On October 29, 2019, penalties at many agencies were increased an…
DG Symposium preview: Why is lithium battery recycling suddenly sexy?
Todd Coy, Vice President at KBI, will speak about “Lithium Battery Recycling and End of Life Transport” at the 14th annual Dangerous Goods Symposium, September 4–6, 2019, in Chicago. The third day of every Dangerous Goods Symposium is devoted to lithium battery issues, with an expert panel sharing the latest regulatory developments and fielding pointed…
DG Symposium preview: IATA’s Nicolas Carlone on automation and virtual reality
Nicolas Carlone, Assistant Director of DGR and Cargo Publications at IATA, will speak on Dangerous Goods acceptance automation—and give a live demo of IATA’s new virtual reality training tool—at the 14th annual Dangerous Goods Symposium, September 4–6, 2019, in Chicago. During last year’s Dangerous Goods Symposium, we wrote, “Sometime in the not-too-distant future, someone will…
5 questions you should ask about lithium battery packaging testing
When it comes to shipping lithium batteries compliantly, labels and marks grab all the headlines, but the real story is in packaging. After all, while labels and marks are critical for proper identification of a package’s contents, the package itself is what keeps those contents from causing damage. In the case of lithium batteries and…
5 situations where you might need “extreme” hazmat labels and placards
Say you ship drums of UN 1263 paint every single day. You know the applicable regulations for shipping 1263 like you know your kids’ middle names. You could wallpaper your entire facility with the shipper’s declarations for 1263 you’ve printed over the years. Your phone passcode is 1263. You’re as likely to ship UN 1263…
CEOs! Want supply chain to be a competitive weapon? Start with hazmat.
For years now, we’ve been helping supply chain professionals see hazmat compliance as a competitive advantage, not a cost center. Show your bosses real visibility into the true costs and value of improved compliance, we’ve said, and you’ll secure the resources to drive new revenue and boost profitability. Turns out we’re not the only ones…