Former Chairman of the UN Sub-Committee of Experts on Dangerous Goods Jeff Hart will speak about upcoming updates to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code during the 12th annual Dangerous Goods Symposium, September 6–8, 2017, in Chicago. Jeff Hart claims he was never “technically qualified” for work in Dangerous Goods, yet his 25-year career in…
DG Digest: FMCSA Proposes Speed Limiting Devices, PHMSA May Update HMT, and China Takes Measures to Hault Zika Spread from U.S.
Together we marked the somber fifteenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks in the week just concluded. I hope that everyone had an opportunity to consider the impact to our nation of so terrible an event, and what it has meant to us as we have moved forward in to too often troubled times. Let…
DG Digest: Lloyd’s of London Reports on Maritime Cargo Incidents, PHMSA to Align with International Regs, and RSC’s Next Meeting Announced
Perhaps understandably given that it’s the last week of the summer season as traditionally end-bracketed by the upcoming Labor Day holiday, this edition of the DG Digest is a bit threadbare in terms of its scope of fresh news this morning. Nevertheless, here we go: Maritime The US Coast Guard published a notice correcting an…
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…
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…
Lithium Batteries: Notable Changes Result from PHMSA’s Final Rule — HM-224F
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s new final ruling on the safe transport of lithium batteries was published today in the Federal Register. The adopted amendments in the final rule pertain to 49 CFR, Parts 171, 172, 173, and 175. Read the full text here.
IMDG Code Amendment 37-14 Available in November
An English hard-copy version of the latest edition of the IMDG Code, Amendment 37-14 will become available to users in November 2014 pursuant to an announcement made by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Shortly following in early 2015 will be the release of the French and Spanish issues. An updated Supplement will also be printed.…
Aerosols: Is Further Harmonization Needed?
With so much focus over the years on harmonizing the dangerous goods regulations, one commodity that can definitely benefit from a focused review is the entry for aerosols. This is particularly a concern relative to U.S. regulations, where the definition for aerosols is not aligned with the international definition. In §171.8 of the Hazardous Materials…
Required Regulatory Change Affects Marking Text Size for Hazard Class Labels
Both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently changed the required size of the text to be used when marking the United Nations Identification Number (UNID Number) on packages of dangerous goods/hazardous materials. The UNID Number is a four-digit numerical designator (for example, UN1993) which provides an internationally recognized identification number…
What’s New in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has released an overview of changes included in the newest edition of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code), Amendment 36-12. The document, produced by Exis Technologies, details changes to: Stowage and Segregation Sources of Heat Foodstuffs Limited Quantities Explosives Additionally, the document mentions that new UN numbers (up…