Admit it: You used to take hallway conversations for granted. As a supply chain professional, how many times have you had a question about something and just walked down the hall and gotten an answer within minutes? These days, getting that same answer might require a chat, an email or a dreaded video call that…
2018 Dangerous Goods Symposium speaker Peter Mackay: Survey data is ammunition.
Peter Mackay, editor-in-chief of HCB, will introduce the results of the 2018 Dangerous Goods Confidence Survey during the 13th annual Dangerous Goods Symposium, September 5–7, 2018, in Rosemont, Illinois. Revealing the results of the annual Dangerous Goods Confidence Survey has become a mainstay of the Dangerous Goods Symposium. Co-sponsored by Labelmaster, HCB and—for the first…
DG Digest: From OSHA’s “Flashpoint” Definition to FRA’s Quiet Zones
Another eventful week on the DG/Transport Scene! OSHA OSHA issued a revised definition of “Flashpoint,” correcting a CFR omission in its most recent iteration of the 29 CFR. OSHA has partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) to create a new informational website which offers greatly enhanced safety guidance for users…
DG Digest: More Lithium Battery News, PHMSA Special Permits and FRA Fines Hit Record Heights
Several items of note occurred in the DG world last week, with new and revised regulations affecting everything from Limited Quantities to Lithium Batteries and a vital Federal Agency noting that its enforcement penalties were way up: ICAO/IATA Lithium Battery Rules Changes Both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association…
Federal Register publishes HM-233F revisions to the HMR
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) yesterday published the newest rulemaking under its HM-233 Docket family. This incorporates various aspects of previously issued Special Permits (SP’s) into the body of the regulations. Specials Permits are administrative actions that grant specific users permission to do something outside of…
ICAO imposes first-ever charge limit on lithium battery shipments, effective April 1
ICAO has published its much anticipated addendum highlighting additional consignment conditions for the transport of lithium batteries. The ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel considered that these would significantly improve the already high-level of safety of these shipments and it would be prudent to have them in place as soon as possible. As a result, the ICAO addendum…
Hoverboards, this season’s hot holiday gift, banned from airline transport
While many Americans focus on holiday activity and the shopping often attendant to that, one product that might be on people’s “get list” looks like it may run into logistics trouble arriving under the tree. On Thursday, December 10th US media outlets like The Washington Post and CNN reported that major US airlines including United,…
Guest Blog: Workplace and transport labeling: Communication cures the confusion
Guest blogger Chandra Deeds Gioiello helps clients across the globe navigate regulations with Industrial Health & Safety Consultants, Inc. She is a registered Safety Data Sheet and Label Author and a Certified Industrial Hygienist, specializing in international hazard communication regulations. I have written Safety Data Sheets for employers throughout the world. I’ve classified mixtures according…
IATA Lithium Battery workshop concludes; undeclared and non-compliant shipments pose biggest risks
Last week, I was part of the Labelmaster team that attended the Lithium Battery workshop hosted by IATA in Montreal. For those of us who’ve been following the twists and turns of the regulations governing the air transport of lithium batteries, we might be forgiven for thinking there would be nothing new to see and…
ICAO releases new Addendum/Corrigendum updating Technical Instructions for Dangerous Goods
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has released a new Addendum and Corrigendum revising the 2015 – 2016 Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, commonly referred to as the ICAO TI or simply TI. The TI are the set of regulations that, together with national regulations like the 49 CFR…