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…
If hazmat labels could talk: An exclusive interview
Dangerous Goods is not a Pixar movie. Hazmat labels don’t talk. But if they did, they might have some interesting things to say about the role they play in shipping compliance: Q: Tell our readers about yourself. A: I’m a PVC-free, Class 9 Miscellaneous hazard class label from Labelmaster. Q: It sounds like you say…
DG pro has weird allergic reaction to the words “lithium batteries”
A Midwestern Dangerous Goods professional has developed a psychosomatic reaction to the words lithium batteries, apparently resulting from overexposure to news articles, blog posts and customer inquiries about the subject. Ted—who requested his last name and company not be revealed—experiences facial skin outbreaks, headaches and nausea when he hears or reads the words lithium battery…
New video explores Dangerous Goods compliance at 30,000 feet
Mike Wentz is Manager of Cargo Compliance for American Airlines, but when he talks about his job he could be speaking for any Dangerous Goods professional in any capacity: “I knew I’d never be comfortable in the role unless I could understand the regulations back to front and be able to communicate them effectively.” Get…
7 clues that Game of Thrones is really about hazmat shipping
Every Sunday night, millions of people worldwide gather to watch a show about kings, queens, dragons and Class 3 hazmat. Yes, it’s Game of Thrones, and it’s the greatest show about Dangerous Goods ever created. What’s that? You don’t think Game of Thrones is about hazmat shipping? Here are seven uncanny similarities that will prove…
That seals it! The 7 most famous, nonhazmat-related seals
Seals Series, Volume 6 — Over the last few weeks, we’ve taken a close look at the role of security seals in the Dangerous Goods business. From explaining why seals trump locks in hazmat security, to how seals protect less-than-load shipments, we’ve explained just about everything you need to know about seals. Everything serious, that is.…