As we approach nearly 85 years of presence in the steel drum community, we have compiled a pictorial history of our company with photos, product brochures, and news events that date back as far as 1943. “Skolnik and Son”, Abraham and his son Sol, originally started circa 1925 as peddlers of wooden barrels. In 1940, with the loss of their father, Sol and brother Jack took the company into steel drum reconditioning and as of 1960, solely manufacturing new steel drums. In 1985, the company was sold to Howard Skolnik, son of Jack, and Edward Elins and the focus was to develop the niche or “boutique” markets which were not being served by conventional 55 gallon steel drum manufacturers. During these last 25 years, Skolnik has continued to aim for the highest levels of quality manufacturing with a vast array of products and services. We participate in the global regulatory arena to “save lives” by helping to prevent hazardous material accidents.

If you would like to see what we’ve been doing for these past 82 years, check out OUR HISTORY at Skolnik.com. We’re proud of our past, working hard in our present, and looking forward to a stimulating future.

A commercial motor vehicle can be defined as: a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds; a vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver; a vehicle designed to transport 11 or more passengers, including the driver, and used to transport students under the age of twenty-one years of age to and from school; or any vehicle transporting hazardous materials which is required to be placarded

Using a hand-held mobile phone is defined under 49 CFR 390.5 as: using at least one hand to hold a mobile telephone to conduct a voice communication; dialing or answering a mobile telephone by pressing more than a single button; or reaching for a mobile telephone in a manner that requires a driver to maneuver so that he or she is no longer in a seated driving position, restrained by a seat belt that is installed in accordance with 49 CFR 393.93 and adjusted in accordance with the vehicle manufacturer’s instructions. Click here to view the final rule in the Federal Register. Personally, I hope that this law will eventually include taxi drivers and law enforcement personnel!

If interested in a free voucher, contact us immediately at 773-884-1513, or email jason@skolnik.com

Skolnik recently completed the development and implementation of a documented Sustainability Plan. This plan addresses all aspects of the products we purchase, use in fabrication, sell and scrap. On September 9th,, 2011, I was invited by Mindful Metropolis Magazine to participate in a Green Seminar held at Moraine Valley Community College. As one of four Chicago-based panelists, I presented the basis for our Sustainability Plan, the process of development, the implementation, and the ongoing maintenance of the plan.

Great Western Containers of Canada established their support of Kids Cancer Care in Calgary, Canada and hosted their first annual golf outing/dinner fundraiser. Skolnik was a corporate sponsor and I had the good fortune to attend this worthwhile and touching event. Ms. Savannah Brown, a 12 year old cancer survivor was the key note speaker and told her story from initial diagnosis, to treatment, to participating in the Kids Cancer Care summer camp. Thank you GWC!

Labelmaster held their 6th Annual Dangerous Goods Instructors Symposium in Memphis, TN at the Peabody Hotel — “the one with the ducks.” On September 27th, 2011, the first night of the Symposium, 40 fortunate attendee’s were able to participate in the Night Time Hub Tour of FedEx. The Hub Tour is a highly coveted hazmat opportunity and I was excited to partake. From 10:30pm to 2:30am, we witnessed the arrival of a large percentage of the global fleet, about 170 planes, as they landed, were unloaded, their cargo uploaded, sorted and reloaded, then watched as the planes started departing. During the 4 hours, 7,800 employees transition more than 1.5 million packages every night. It was like a “tsunami of packages” that all pass through this incredibly complex, high speed, high energy hub. Thank you Fedex!

At Labelmaster’s DGIS VI, I presented a workshop on the Writing of Closure Instructions.
The workshop was designed to emphasize that the most important part of a dangerous goods package is the closing process. With Closure Instructions required, the instructions need to be written in a manner which conveys required tools, types of inspections, proper assembly and a finite closure point. Participants were first asked to write simple instructions for simple tasks (ie, how to tie shoe laces), and eventually they were given UN certified drums or boxes and asked to write a closure instruction. The exercise did highlight the nuances of good instruction writing and all who attended claimed that their communication skills were improved. I will be giving the Workshop again at the DGAC Annual Conference in Tampa on November 8th, 2011.

Only recently, Jones International Groups, Inc. agreed to pay EPA $17,000 for failing to comply with requirements related to the export of universal waste – spent lead-acid batteries — to Hong Kong through the Port of Portland in Oregon. Quality Carriers, Inc. will pay more than $46,000 to settle hazardous chemical reporting violations at its facility in Kent, Washington, for storing large amounts of hydrogen peroxide above threshold planning quantities without properly reporting it to the Kent Fire Department, King County Local Emergency Planning Committee, and the state emergency response commission. The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced $3,876,000.00 in fines against American Welding & Tank, LLC (AWT) of Fremont, Ohio for violating federal hazardous materials safety standards. The company was fined for manufacturing and selling unsafe nurse tanks — a type of cargo tank used to store and transport anhydrous ammonia, a hazardous material used in farming operations.

But the fine that is the most astounding is that Logitech was fined $261,000 for making unsubstantiated pesticide claims for its computer keyboards. The company incorporated a silver compound designed to protect a keyboard against deterioration, then marketed the keyboard as protecting the user from bacteria and microbes. To promote such benefits for that use a company must have the product tested, then registered by the EPA. Products that kill or repel bacteria or germs and/or claim to do so are considered pesticides, and must be registered with the EPA before their sale or distribution, pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA will not register a pesticide until it has been tested to show that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the directions.

During the last week of August 2011, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson threw out most of Tobey’s claims, but agreed to proceed with charges that his free-speech rights were violated.
The judge also rejected the equal protection and search-and-seizure claims against the TSA screening officers who summoned police, but said it was premature to dismiss the free-speech claim. The final outcome and charges are yet unknown. Bizarre behavior continues to plague our security screening which, by its design and implementation, does, sometimes, cause travelers to act out their frustrations.

Specifically, the batteries were not packaged in a manner that would prevent a short-circuit that could create sparks or generate a dangerous quantity of heat. MIT allegedly offered the box when it was not packaged, marked, classed, described, labeled or in condition for shipment as required by regulations. The airbill accompanying the shipment specifically stated the shipment did not contain dangerous goods. In addition, the FAA alleges MIT employees were not properly trained and tested to handle hazardous material. MIT is allowed to negotiate the FAA fine.