7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Shipping Hazardous Materials
- By Cory Levins
- 20 abr 2019
The hard truth is that hazardous materials shipping is an area where there’s very little room for mistakes. Errors can cause injury, damage to property and even death. But it’s perfectly possible to ship these materials safely and efficiently—it just requires diligence, communication and attention to detail.
At Air Sea Containers, safety is at the core of everything we do. The safety of people, the safety of goods and the safety of the business are all intertwined, so we make sure our high-performance hazmat packaging helps protect all three. That being said, to help our customers navigate the often complex world of hazmat shipping, we’ve created this list of seven of the easiest hazmat shipping mistakes to make—and how you can make sure your organization doesn’t fall into them.
Transparency at every level is critical for safe and compliant hazmat shipping. All hazmat goods need to have proper UN hazmat labels and/or hazmat placards identifying the hazard class of their contents, and they also have to be declared via the official shipper’s declaration form. These regulations protect everyone by making sure that all hazmat personnel know what they’re handling and how to deal with it.
Laws and regulations on certain goods and packaging methods can vary drastically by transportation mode. Goods that are usually packaged one way when shipped via ground freight sometimes require a totally different approach when shipped via air—the common refrigerant dry ice, for example, is regulated differently for each transportation mode. For this reason, it’s important to get confirmation on exactly which set of standards your goods will need to meet, especially if you’re working with a freight forwarder.
The DOT provides detailed tables of hazardous materials and the specific accompanying regulations for each one. From what packaging methods can be used to which transportation modes it can be moved via, you’ll find all the specific information you need here. Your organization’s responsibility is to be familiar and be in compliance with these regulations in detail for anything and everything it ships—no ifs, ands or buts.
Many materials are classified as hazardous that the average person probably wouldn’t think of as such. Lithium ion batteries, many types of common medical specimens, fuel cell devices, genetically modified organisms and many more can all be classified as hazardous, depending on transportation mode and the amounts you’re transporting. Do your research and don’t assume, and, when in doubt, contact your shipper or freight forwarder and declare it.
Employees handling hazardous materials need to be trained—and trained thoroughly. It’s also important to remember that a trained employee doesn’t necessarily equal a competent employee—formal training is no substitute for experience in practical hazmat shipping. Employees need to have demonstrated competence under supervision before being allowed to handle hazardous goods on their own.
Hazmat packaging is designed in specific ways that meet the requirements of the various hazmat shipping regulations. Reputable hazmat packaging manufacturers like Air Sea Containers will include detailed instructions on how you’ll need to use their packaging in order to achieve that compliance. Make sure that the employees who will be using the packaging have easy access to the instructions and understand them completely. (If you’re ever confused about any of our instructions, feel free to give us a call at (866) 596-9448, and our experts can help!)
It can be easy to think that getting caught and fined for hazmat shipping violations is the kind of thing that can’t happen to you, but the U.S. government is in the middle of a crackdown on non-compliant hazmat shipping—fines got a considerable hike several years ago, and some types have gone up again since. You might get away with it, but you might get a hefty penalty—or, even worse, someone could be injured. To put it simply, it’s never worth the risk.
Of course, it’s true that everyone makes mistakes—but when you’re in the hazmat shipping business, it’s vital to keep them to an absolute minimum. By knowing where the common errors occur and being vigilant, you and your employees can more effectively protect everyone’s safety and maintain a smooth supply chain—with a little help from Air Sea Containers, your partner in high-performance packaging for shipping hazardous materials.
At Air Sea Containers, safety is at the core of everything we do. The safety of people, the safety of goods and the safety of the business are all intertwined, so we make sure our high-performance hazmat packaging helps protect all three. That being said, to help our customers navigate the often complex world of hazmat shipping, we’ve created this list of seven of the easiest hazmat shipping mistakes to make—and how you can make sure your organization doesn’t fall into them.
1. Failing to label and declare goods properly.
Transparency at every level is critical for safe and compliant hazmat shipping. All hazmat goods need to have proper UN hazmat labels and/or hazmat placards identifying the hazard class of their contents, and they also have to be declared via the official shipper’s declaration form. These regulations protect everyone by making sure that all hazmat personnel know what they’re handling and how to deal with it.
2. Not accounting for differences in transportation modes.
Laws and regulations on certain goods and packaging methods can vary drastically by transportation mode. Goods that are usually packaged one way when shipped via ground freight sometimes require a totally different approach when shipped via air—the common refrigerant dry ice, for example, is regulated differently for each transportation mode. For this reason, it’s important to get confirmation on exactly which set of standards your goods will need to meet, especially if you’re working with a freight forwarder.
3. Lack of familiarity with the specific regulations for each individual substance.
The DOT provides detailed tables of hazardous materials and the specific accompanying regulations for each one. From what packaging methods can be used to which transportation modes it can be moved via, you’ll find all the specific information you need here. Your organization’s responsibility is to be familiar and be in compliance with these regulations in detail for anything and everything it ships—no ifs, ands or buts.
4. Assuming that goods aren’t classified as hazardous.
Many materials are classified as hazardous that the average person probably wouldn’t think of as such. Lithium ion batteries, many types of common medical specimens, fuel cell devices, genetically modified organisms and many more can all be classified as hazardous, depending on transportation mode and the amounts you’re transporting. Do your research and don’t assume, and, when in doubt, contact your shipper or freight forwarder and declare it.
5. Letting untrained employees handle hazardous materials.
Employees handling hazardous materials need to be trained—and trained thoroughly. It’s also important to remember that a trained employee doesn’t necessarily equal a competent employee—formal training is no substitute for experience in practical hazmat shipping. Employees need to have demonstrated competence under supervision before being allowed to handle hazardous goods on their own.
6. Not following the packaging manufacturer’s exact instructions.
Hazmat packaging is designed in specific ways that meet the requirements of the various hazmat shipping regulations. Reputable hazmat packaging manufacturers like Air Sea Containers will include detailed instructions on how you’ll need to use their packaging in order to achieve that compliance. Make sure that the employees who will be using the packaging have easy access to the instructions and understand them completely. (If you’re ever confused about any of our instructions, feel free to give us a call at (866) 596-9448, and our experts can help!)
7. Thinking that other mistakes will be overlooked.
It can be easy to think that getting caught and fined for hazmat shipping violations is the kind of thing that can’t happen to you, but the U.S. government is in the middle of a crackdown on non-compliant hazmat shipping—fines got a considerable hike several years ago, and some types have gone up again since. You might get away with it, but you might get a hefty penalty—or, even worse, someone could be injured. To put it simply, it’s never worth the risk.
Of course, it’s true that everyone makes mistakes—but when you’re in the hazmat shipping business, it’s vital to keep them to an absolute minimum. By knowing where the common errors occur and being vigilant, you and your employees can more effectively protect everyone’s safety and maintain a smooth supply chain—with a little help from Air Sea Containers, your partner in high-performance packaging for shipping hazardous materials.
