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    ICAO Publishes Fifth Addendum to 2011-12 Technical Instructions

    - August 8, 2012 -

    The International Civil Aviation Organization recently published Addendum No. 5 to the 2011-12 edition of its Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air. The addendum mainly consists of additions and modifications to variations for countries and airlines; concurrently, there are table changes included which are related to the aforementioned variations. The addendum…

    2012 Dangerous Goods Instructors Symposium Just Around the Corner

    - July 26, 2012 -

    I’m enduring the heat wave in an air-conditioned office putting together the final edits for AIR Shipper 2013! Once that’s off to the printer, we’re looking forward to seeing the instructors in Chicago in September for DGIS VII. We won’t have the book at the symposium, but I’ll be there to talk about the changes…

    2013 A.I.R. Shipper Includes Changes to Lithium Battery Provisions, Package Quantity Rules

    - July 19, 2012 - , ,

    Production of the 2013 AIR Shipper is coming along.  Odd years mean we’re including ICAO updates, so we’ll be featuring a black cover this time out. If you’re piloting a helicopter up in Alaska, you need to pay attention to this one!  Of course, there are lots of other changes the ordinary dangerous goods shipper…

    Reverse Logistics Addressed in PHMSA Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    - July 12, 2012 -

    The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is requesting input to help formulate policies regarding the transport of hazardous consumer products during the “reverse logistics” portion of the supply chain. PHMSA published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) late last week soliciting public comments in order to identify ways to reduce the…

    2012 Emergency Response Guidebook Now Available

    - July 10, 2012 -

    The 2012 Emergency Response Guidebook, a must-have hazmat incident resource for first responders and hazmat shippers, is in stock! Standard-bound regular size (English and Spanish) and pocket size ERGs are available to ship immediately. Additionally, the remaining variations of the 2012 ERG are expected to arrive on the following dates: Pocket size spiral-bound 2012 ERG…

    Time and Temperature Sensitive Label Now Mandatory for Select Healthcare Cargo Shipments

    - July 9, 2012 -

    Beginning this month, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) now requires that certain healthcare cargo air shipments utilize a “Time and Temperature Sensitive” label in order to communicate the unique needs of these materials. Background of the need for the label, first introduced in 2010, was detailed in a recent IATA information notice: “The air…

    The 41st Session of the UN Subcommittee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Part II

    - July 6, 2012 - ,

    The 41st session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (the Sub-Committee) concluded on Wednesday. The following summary is the second and final in our series highlighting papers discussed during the course of the session. For more background on this meeting, please view our overview of the 41st Session…

    The Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2012

    - July 5, 2012 - ,

    Few within the hazmat industry believed a hazmat reauthorization bill would be approved prior to November’s U.S. presidential election. Thus, in what should be considered a surprising move, Congress passed a $105-billion transportation bill this past Friday, part of which includes provisions for hazardous materials transportation safety. The complete text for the Moving Ahead for…

    New ICAO Lithium Battery Regulations Will Present Significant Challenges in 2013. Are You Ready?

    - June 18, 2012 - ,

    One of the most noteworthy changes that will come into force in the 2013 ICAO Technical Instructions is the reworking of the various packing instructions for lithium ion and metal batteries and cells. ICAO has determined that some lithium batteries currently assigned to Section II of Packing Instruction 965 (for lithium ion) and 968 (for…

    PHMSA Responds to Recent Rule Appeals, Proposes to Extend ORM-D System Phase-Out Until End of 2015

    - May 25, 2012 - ,

    The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the U.S. Federal Register today addressing appeals that resulted from recent harmonization rules HM-215K and HM-231, both of which dealt with hazmat packaging requirements. Companies should examine the NPRM carefully and work with their respective trade organizations to ensure that…

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