Neil McCulloch contributed to this article. Monday’s press release from IATA, highlighting the problems and implications of non-enforcement of existing lithium battery shipping regulations, is both salutary and discouraging. Salutary, because we’ve long been on record as saying that comprehensive enforcement of existing regulations would have a larger impact on safety than enacting new regulations. Many other…
Design critic reviews Labelmaster’s floor sign collection
It’s not every day a renowned design critic reviews industrial design, let alone a subject as specialized as Dangerous Goods floor signs. But Stewart D. O. North is no ordinary critic. “Floor signs are the most visible line of defense in promoting workplace safety,” he said. “Some people seek the writing on the wall, some…
Shouldn’t you have a Lithium Battery Advisor for everyday life?
Lithium battery shipping is complex and challenging, but Labelmaster’s Lithium Battery Advisor software makes it simple and stress-free. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a Lithium Battery Advisor for all your everyday challenges? Seriously. Think about how quickly lithium battery regulations have changed. Many shipments that not long ago required no special handling at…
9 things you might not know about jerricans and pails
Maybe you’re one of the hundreds of people who buy our jerricans and pails. After all, they’re indispensable for all kinds of liquid transport and storage purposes. But for all the times you’ve filled, emptied, shipped and stored jerricans and pails, we bet you’ve never stopped to ponder them. Well, we have, and we’ve…
The Dangerous Goods professional’s guide to the big Rio sports event
You may have heard about this humongous international sporting event starting in Rio de Janeiro next week. (We’re not allowed to use the O-word; for the duration of this article we’ll refer to the event as the HISE—Humongous International Sporting Event.) Here’s a quick guide to a selection of HISE terms that sound like they…
Chemical company manager adopts hazmat spill kits for his family and home.
Your mother told you there was no use crying over spilled milk. But your mother probably didn’t manage shipping for a chemical company. “I hate spills,” says Dave, a shipping manager at a Midwestern chemical company who asked that his last name and employer not be revealed. “I do everything I can to prevent them,…
How will Brexit affect Dangerous Goods transport for the UK and Europe?
Like several of my Labelmaster colleagues, I’m an accredited DGSA, from DGAC’s SQA affiliated training program (No one can say Dangerous Goods is short of acronyms!) and hence well versed in the ADR. What those acronyms mean is that I’m somewhat knowledgeable about European Dangerous Goods regulations as they are applied in Great Britain. As…
This July 4th, why should Class 1 Explosives get all the attention?
July 4th is coming, and one hazmat class will once again monopolize the nation’s attention—Class 1 explosives. Sure, we all ooh and aah at our local fireworks displays. Many of us may even responsibly deploy firecrackers and mini-rockets during private celebrations. (It’s safe to say the bozos captured in videos like this one are not…
Okay, Fine! PHMSA to Increase Penalties on August 1st
The USDOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) took a big step forward yesterday in upping the ante for shippers who knowingly violate the regulation contained in the US 49 CFR Parts 100 – 185 Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). Increases in penalties had been bandied about the industry for some time, and have now…
In Geneva, UN Dangerous Goods Experts Hash Out Coming Regulatory Changes
The structure of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) in the US 49 CFR Parts 100 – 185 may seem byzantine at first; it’s hardly light reading. However, it is actually built upon a very sound and logical structure. US regulations are in large part based on and or harmonized to the Dangerous Goods regulations (it’s…