As the nation starts to swing in towards the 4th of July holiday and typical summer fun, regulatory activity has perked up somewhat. Does this mean a busy fall ahead? We’ll see! Meanwhile, here’s the most recent news:
IMO
The International Maritime Agency announced that the newest amendment of the IMDG Code (i.e. 39-18) for transporting dangerous goods in maritime shipping mode will be available this fall, with a forecasted publication date in September. See the details here
Australia Dangerous Goods
If you ship DG down under, you’ll want to see when the newest Australian Code, the Edition 7.6, is going to be effective. Voluntary compliance begins this July! See the new update from Australian authorities right here
Mexico Dangerous Goods
The nation of Mexico released guidance about the orientation requirements for hazard labels on non-bulk packages. The guidance clarifies that the label must be presented in the form of a diamond shape in relation to the bottom of the package. This rules out rotating the label in order to help it fit available space. The Mexico NOM’s do allow for size reduction if required, as per the UNMR’s specifications. See the Spanish language version of the guidance here
OSHA
OSHA issued a memorandum outlining initial enforcement of the standard for respirable crystalline silica in general industry and maritime. Most provisions of the standard become enforceable June 23. The standard establishes a new 8-hour, time-weighted average permissible exposure limit and action level. During the first 30 days of enforcement, OSHA will offer compliance assistance for employers who make good faith efforts to comply with the new standard. See the details here
FMCSA
The agency amended its regulations to delay the compliance date from June 22, 2018, to June 22, 2021, for several provisions of its April 23, 2015 Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration final rule. This action is being taken to provide FMCSA additional time to complete certain information technology system development tasks for its National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and provide the State Driver’s Licensing Agencies sufficient time to make the necessary IT programming changes after upgrades to the National Registry. See the delay here
TSA
The agency published an update of and extension to its ICR governing collection of security data about persons applying for a hazardous material endorsement for their state issued Commercial Motor Vehicle license. The move is part of the TXSA’s ongoing involvement in security procedures on the American road system. See the update 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
