Being a shipper brings packaging liability issues that can be costly if that package leaks while in transportation. At a recent conference of the Council for the Safe Transport of Hazardous Articles (COSTHA), we learned that UPS and FedEx have the greatest number of documented incidents of hazmat spills. It’s understandable as both companies ship, by far, the most packages of any carrier in the US. Plus, where many incidents go undocumented, UPS and FedEx document every spill. As an example of potential shipper liabilities, here is what happened when a non-compliant shipment of 1 gallon of a flammable adhesive was discovered leaking in transit.
On September 16, 2013, Amazon employees improperly shipped a package containing flammable liquid adhesive by air on Federal Express (FedEx) from Whitestown, Ind., to Boulder, Colo. FedEx employees in Boulder discovered a gallon container of the adhesive was leaking. The adhesive is classified as a hazardous material (HazMat) under Department of Transportation regulations. Amazon offered the shipment without the requisite shipping papers or emergency response information, and did not mark, label, or properly package the shipment. Amazon also failed to properly train its employees in preparing HazMat packages for shipment by air. Amazon paid in full a $91,000 civil penalty that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had proposed against the Seattle, Washington company for violating Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations.
Note that the fine went to the reseller, Amazon, not the original packaging manufacturer. It is the entity that introduces the package to transit that carries the liability.
Check out the complete line of Skolnik Hazmat shipping drums in carbon and stainless steel.