Here we go right into December—the beginning of meteorological (vice astronomical) winter. Brrrrr! Cold and snow are now impacting much of the nation, so let’s all make sure we help our employees cope safely, with prompt snow and ice removal at our workplaces, careful attention to employees that have to work outside, and keeping an…
DG Digest: USPS final rule revises ‘Pub 52,’ requiring mailers separate ‘hazmat’ into identifiable containers
June kicks off the summer vacation season for many people. As HSE professionals it’s important for us to help our fellow employees deal with the “short staffing” that sometimes occurs as vacation times impact workplace operations. Let’s make sure that we remind our colleagues not to cut corners on safety and normal precautions to keep…
DG Digest: USPS sets strict limits on mailing of nicotine delivery systems
Here we are approaching the end of October! You know what that means—Halloween will be at the end of the coming week. Let’s review some basic safety for the holiday: If your workplace allows costuming, be sure any such outfits don’t compromise safe work practices, especially loose clothing that could get caught in powered machinery and most…
Which sites have the best hazmat information for eCommerce shippers?
During the recent Dangerous Goods Symposium, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Hazardous Materials Program Specialist Vinny Desiderio described the ongoing challenges USPS has with eCommerce shippers who don’t know (or act as if they don’t know) they’re shipping hazmat. Some of them—purveyors of ammunition, smoke grenades and chemicals such as calcium carbide—almost certainly know better. The…
DG Digest: PHMSA announces virtual Research, Development & Technology Forum – starting October 12, 2021
Amazingly enough, we’ve just finished the last weekend in September. Where does the time go? Cooler fall weather is beginning to settle in across the country; now is a great time to start thinking about your company’s cold weather plans for things like snow clearance, keeping walkways safe, and making sure heaters, boilers, and furnaces…
2021 DG Symposium recap, part 1: From the C-suite to the loading dock
The 2021 Dangerous Goods Symposium got off to a rousing start this week, with four sessions covering everything from nuts-and-bolts regulatory updates to high-level ideas from leading executives on prioritizing DG compliance in a rapidly evolving supply chain. Here’s a quick recap of those sessions, with links to watch the recordings on demand. Further down,…
DG Digest: UNECE releases corrective corrigendum to the EU ADR
Moving into the third week of April, the nation is rapidly moving into a phase where vaccines against the COVID virus are becoming much more widely available. At the same time, the virus, in its variant forms, is also surging once more. Let’s all do our part to help limit the further spread of the…
DG Digest: IATA issues second addendum to the 62nd DGR, PHMSA to hold Lithium Battery Air Safety meeting this week
Today’s digest covers the two weeks just past. The first week of the period was quiet; the second week, quite busy. IATA published a new addendum and PHMSA was quite active. All in all, a busy period. Meanwhile, the vaccination effort against the ongoing pandemic continues. Let’s all keep working and living safe and do our part to battle this…
Want regulatory updates? The 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium is underway!
With a pastry and a cup of coffee on your desk, the first session of the 2020 Dangerous Goods Symposium felt a lot like previous years. Two regulatory experts were speaking, and trying to take in all the information they shared was like drinking from a firehose. Of course, this year’s Symposium isn’t like other…
DG Digest: HHS updates requirements for new class of respirators, PHMSA provides guidance for handling shipping papers
The week just concluded finds the COVID-19 outbreak continuing to dominate regulatory activity, though there is a strong leavening of other news. Meanwhile, all of us continue to work towards moving the nation into a recovery phase, whenever that may become safe. For now, stay the course! Continue social distancing, wash those hands, protect your…