There have been a lot of inquiries into how to ship hazardous material and questioning whether you can ship it at all with today’s transportation laws. The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Adminsitration heavily regulates the transportation of materials in the United States. Previously, we wrote about shipping hazardous by air with FedEx and/or UPS.

The specific regulations define hazardous materials and specify how to conduct practically every aspect of hazardous material shipping. The shipping of hazardous materials can pose a serious danger to anyone who might come in contact with the shipment. The inappropriate shipping of hazardous materials is a serious problem that can result in injury, loss of life, major fines, jail time, and damage to property. Therefore, it is critical that one carefully follow the rules so that any possible unsafe condition is minimized.

The D.O.T. can and does impose severe penalties for anyone who knowingly or unknowingly violates these regulations. Packages that contain hazardous materials need to be properly labeled for shipping and the label designates the type of hazard the material presents. Hazardous material items that are commonly shipped incorrectly are aerosol cans, cosmetics, perfumes, nail polish, lipsticks, alcohol, products containing alcohol such as cleaning products and even alcoholic beverages are considered dangerous. The following are the officially designated hazard categories:

o 1.1 - EXPLOSIVES 1.1
o 1.2 - EXPLOSIVES 1.2
o 1.3 - EXPLOSIVES 1.3
o 1.4 - EXPLOSIVES 1.4
o 1.5 - EXPLOSIVES 1.5
o 1.6 - EXPLOSIVES 1.6
o 2.1 - FLAMMABLE GAS
o 2.2 - NONFLAMMABLE GAS
o 2.3 - POISON GAS
o 3 - FLAMMABLE LIQUID
o 4.1 - FLAMMABLE SOLID
o 4.2 - SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTIBLE
o 4.3 - DANGEROUS WHEN WET
o 5.1 - OXIDIZER
o 5.2 - ORGANIC PEROXIDE
o 6.1 - POISON INHALATION HAZARD (zone A or B)
o 6.1 - POISON (other than inhalation hazard)
o 6.2 - INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCE
o 7 - RADIOACTIVE WHITE-I
o 7 - RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-II
o 7 - RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III
o 7 - EMPTY (empty packages of radioactives)
o 8 - CORROSIVE
o 9 - CLASS 9

D.O.T. shipping labels are available for all of these categories. These shipping labels are 4″x 4″ and come on rolls of 500, have semi gloss face stock, permanent adhesive, and come on a 1″ inch core. They also have the ability to custom make these labels to have a special blank white region to write your own personal messages or instruction on. This region does not come on the stock labels. It has to be requested and it can be requested blank or with a message preprinted.

If your application calls for a little more durable label, there are several material solutions for you. They can offer several different films such as polyester, Kimdura, and polypropylene. These materials will withstand water, chemicals, UV rays, and other environmental factors that paper will not.

These special materials are not stock and would have to be custom made by most manufacturers. They would also have a 7-10 business day lead time. FedEx and UPS both offer shipping methods for hazardous material. They also offer guides that explain their rules and regulations for shipping these products.

Shipping hazardous material can be quick and easy as long as the appropriate steps are taken. Knowing how to ship hazardous material the correct way is important. Please pass this information to those that are interested in this topic.

The Compliance Resource Center offers on-site, function specific training for the shipping of hazardous materials (Hazmat 49 CFR, part 100-185) by ground, air and ocean.  The CR Center can also assist with hazardous materials audits, security plans, hazardous spill training and more. Contact us at info@thecrcenter.com or 847-298-3063.

The US DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is presenting a FREE 1-day Hazmat Workshop in Rockford on May 6.  Registration information is below.

Hazardous Materials Transportation One-Day Workshop
The HMR apply to each person who performs, or causes to be performed, functions related to the transportation of hazardous materials such as determination of, and compliance with, basic conditions for offering; filling packages; marking and labeling packages; preparing shipping papers; handling, loading, securing and segregating packages within a transport vehicle, freight container or cargo hold; and transporting hazardous materials.
This one-day workshop provides an overview of how to use the HMR and a summary of many of the requirements found in the HMR that can affect transportation safety to include:
Training Requirements, Packaging, Hazard Communications, and Security.
 

For information call: (202) 366-4900 Workshop Highlights
Anyone who offers or transports hazardous materials in commerce or has a desire to learn more about
USDOT’s Hazardous Materials Regulations.
ONE-DAY AGENDA
7:30 - 8:00AM REGISTRATION
8:00 - 8:15AM WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
8:15 - 9:15AM HOW TO USE THE HMR
Review how to locate specific HM information in the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR), e.g.,
Hazardous Materials Table, mode restrictions, proper shipping name, hazard class, division number, ID number, packing group, packaging, special provisions, labeling, marking, and placarding requirements.
9:30 - 10:30AM TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
Discuss the hazmat employer and employee training requirements in 49 CFR ®172.700.
10:45 - 11:45AM PACKAGE SELECTION, MARKING, AND LABELING
Learn how to select the proper package, properly mark the package, and label the package.
11:45 - 1:00PM LUNCH (on your own)
1:00 - 2:00PM SHIPPING PAPERS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE INFORMATION
Learn how to properly describe a hazardous material on a shipping paper, including additional descriptions and emergency response information.
2:15 - 3:15PM PLACARDING REQUIREMENTS
Learn how to determine the required placarding when offering and/or transporting hazardous materials.
3:30 - 4:30PM SECURITY REQUIREMENTS
Provides an understanding of the security threat, an overview of the specific requirements of HM-232, and
suggestions and guidance on how to comply with the regulations.
4:30 - 4:45PM WRAP-UP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Looking for more information on Hazardous Materials Please bring your 49 CFR to the workshop.
Transportation? Visit our website: http://hazmat.dot.gov/
Schedule
The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) specify requirements for the safe and secure transportation of hazardous materials in commerce by rail car, aircraft, vessel, and motor vehicle. These comprehensive regulations govern transportation-related activities by offerors (e.g., shippers, brokers, forwarding agents, freight forwarders, and warehousers); carriers (e.g., common, contract, and private); packaging manufacturers, reconditioners, testers, and retesters; and independent inspection agencies.

May 6, 2008 - Rockford, IL

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!  The 20th Annual Chicagoland Safety and Health Conference will be held September 15 - 18, 2008, at NIU Naperville!

The 20th Annual Chicagoland Safety and Health Conference is scheduled for September 15 - 18, 2008, at Northern Illinois University’s Naperville Campus on 1120 E. Diehl Road. Four days of offerings include special pre-conference programs,  cutting-edge break out topics,  exemplary keynote speakers, and large vendor exhibit hall!

If you are a safety, health, environmental or disaster preparedness specialist, you will benefit from professionals who present the hottest topics needed for your work success. The conference is planned jointly by three ASSE Safety Engineer Chapters, several OSHA Area Offices, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity-On Site Safety and Health Consultation Program, the American Society of Industrial Hygiene Chicago Association, Northern Illinois University and the National Safety Education Center.

Also back this year by popular demand:  the VPP/SHARPS “Conference within a Conference”! 

New this year:  Advanced Training Technique Topics!

Be sure to visit the website at  www.chisafetyconf.org for conference details and session topics as they become available.