Nearly all hazmat professionals have mothers, are married to mothers or are themselves mothers. Yet to our knowledge, no one has ever has ever addressed the formative role our mothers may have played in our Dangerous Goods development, nor the critical question on everyone’s minds this week: What do I get Mom for Mothers’ Day?…
Archive for News
Dangerous Goods Report | Vol. 8
Summary: DG Training Online—Compliance with Convenience. Dangerous Goods trainers embrace interactive online training as a stress-reducing solution. Integrated DG Software = Streamlined Compliance. Why more of today’s hazmat shippers are integrating DG software with their ERPs. State of the Ion. A snapshot of current lithium battery shipping regulations, and the packaging breakthrough that may make battery shipping less... Read more [...]
DG Digest: FRA delays new training rule and OSHA nixes new record-keeping rules they recently approved
Welcome to the second week of May. One more week until most of the nation reaches the “frost line cutoff,” when it is assumed safe to plant those spring annuals. Are you ready? The bright colors of summer are finally on the horizon! It was a fairly quiet week in regulations, with most action focusing... Read more [...]
13 things you may not know about lithium, batteries, and lithium batteries
With lithium batteries once again the hot subject at recent meetings of the IATA Dangerous Goods Board and the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel, you might be tempted to ask, What can they possibly say about lithium batteries that we don’t already know? Well, here are a few things … Lithium is the third smallest element…
DG Digest: FRA updates guidance on grade crossings and OSHA renews its ICR on anhydrous ammonia
It’s May Day—a date observed worldwide as a Labor Holiday. Hopefully, you can mark the day by working towards even greater safety, productivity, and involvement for your own work force, wherever it may be. It was a quiet week on the regulatory front, but here’s the news of note: FRA The agency issued revamped guidance... Read more [...]
Why isn’t anyone talking about blockchain in hazmat shipping?
Imagine you’re a distributor for a line of electronic devices powered by lithium batteries. You don’t make the devices, and you don’t source the batteries, but if one of those devices catches fire on its way to a retailer, you’re the one whose bottom line will suffer. Wouldn’t you like to be 100% sure that…
DG Digest: PHMSA revises safety advisory, OSHA issues a set of ICRs, and FAA to host meeting on drones
Greetings everyone! Believe it or not, it’s less than a week till the new month comes in—May already—and now that everyone’s spring breaks seem to have ended, regulatory action has perked back up just a little. Let’s dive right in to the action: PHMSA The agency issued a revised safety advisory governing the use of... Read more [...]
Lithium batteries (what else?) dominate talks at IATA Dangerous Goods Board
As a bridge between the developers and the users of Dangerous Goods regulations, Labelmaster strives to understand the needs of both the regulated industries and the regulators. This way, we can provide the optimum solutions for our customers. And, since we closely follow the discussions and decisions of both industry and regulators, it will come as…
Why large battery shippers need a compliance assessment
Anyone who ships lithium batteries or battery-powered products knows that compliant battery shipping is a constant challenge. But shippers who undertake the effort to improve their compliance often discover improvements in other areas as well. As a Labelmaster consultant, I recently helped a global robotics company enhance its Dangerous Goods compliance procedures—and, in the process,... Read more [...]
DG Digest: Trump Admin. may scrap “Clean Power Plan” and OSHA extends comments on electrical safety/PPE standards
The second full week of April fins the nation sliding into the full bloom of Spring—hopefully your local garden is beginning to blossom as well! It was a fairly routine week in the regulatory world after last week’s big release of the HM-215N. Here’s a few of the highlights: EPA The Trump administration moved forward... Read more [...]
The Hazmat Quizmaster — Will your teenager become a Dangerous Goods professional?
If you’re like many Dangerous Goods pros, your career direction happened almost by accident. Maybe you never set out to be a hazmat trainer or a shipping manager, but it’s worked out pretty well. Will your kids choose the same path? When your kids grow up, they’ll find all the regulatory resources they need at…
DG Digest: HM-215N Published in the March 30th Federal Register
April arrives with a roar! The long awaited PHMSA HM-215N UN Harmonization final rule originally scheduled for a January 26th publication FINALLY made it into the Federal Register on March 30th. See below for amplifying major details. That’s definitely the elephant in this week’s regulatory room; the EU and the USDOT’s FRA provide the other... Read more [...]
Logistics innovations: big players launch big initiatives
In early March, we ran a post on exciting developments from logistics startups, from electric trucks to driver feedback software. But innovation is hardly limited to new companies. Some of the biggest innovations actually come from the biggest players in the business. Here’s a look at how some of the giants of the logistics industry…
How online hazmat training can lower your blood pressure
When you manage a shipping operation that handles Dangerous Goods, stress is part of the job description. And keeping hazmat employees compliantly trained can be a major source of that elevated blood pressure. If you’re responsible for hazmat training, you have to: Determine who qualifies as a hazmat employee as defined by 49 CFR (§171.8) Determine…
DG Digest: FMCSA pulls revised carrier safety fitness determination and EPA cuts could portend the end of the Chemical Safety Board
As March Madness approaches its climax with the selection of the “Final Four,” Dangerous Goods’ own version of this Spring’s guessing game goes on as well. The elusive USDOT/PHMSA HM-215N UN Harmonization remains unpublished as of this morning, and the rumors that had its release “imminent” seem to have ebbed as well. For now, patience... Read more [...]
DG Digest: Lithium Batteries in the News and PHMSA adds 60 Days to Comment Period on Bulk Flammable Liquid Carriage
Today is the first day of Spring! I hope the day finds you someplace that is getting warmer and brighter as the year progresses. Progress on the regulatory front remains slow, as the “freeze” continues to make its presence felt through a still-glacial pace of new regulatory releases. On the HM-215N front, the song remains... Read more [...]
Top 10 things hazmat regulators can do during a regulatory freeze
When the new administration in Washington issued an executive order blocking any new federal regulations, all pending Dangerous Goods regulations were thrown into limbo. And there they remain. What do regulators do when regulations are frozen? Rest assured, our friends at PHMSA, FMCSA, OSHA, EPA and other agencies are still finding (mostly) productive uses for…
DG Digest: despite persistent rumors of movement, HM-215N remains in limbo
Happy Daylight Savings Time! Hopefully the famed “National Jet Lag Day” has not caused you too much angst. Statistics show that the Monday following the “Spring Forward” time shift is a peak day for traffic accidents, so please be extra careful. Regulatory activity continues at fairly low ebb, although it does seem to be slowly... Read more [...]
Survey results: Hazmat training needs to be a higher priority
Earlier this month, we asked Dangerous Goods professionals to take a hazmat training survey. They responded to seven statements about how well their organizations and the rest of the DG community handle the vital task of educating their teams about hazardous materials. The results were fascinating, and a little troubling. Labelmaster Global Learning Leader Rhonda…
DG Digest: OSHA delays beryllium final rule and Trump issues E.O. on Waters of the United States Rule
The beginning of March continues to be slow with regulatory news as the “regulatory freeze” is still in effect in the United States. Reliable sources continue to tell us the release of the USDOT/PHMSA HM-215N UN Harmonization should be any day now….stay tuned! Here’s a summary of other industry news from last week: OSHA On... Read more [...]
New trucking technology startups may change how hazmat gets shipped
A few weeks back, we wrote about the pros and cons of autonomous trucks hauling hazmat. But while autonomous vehicles get all the headlines these days, there are lots of new technologies and innovative approaches poised to transform trucking as we know it. Some of these innovations are already here; some may be many years…
In The News: Safety Woes can be Major Bad News
No company wants to suffer safety problems. Worker injuries, illnesses, and in some tragic cases, fatalities, impact employees and their families in what can be devastating ways. Such incidents also negatively impact the morale of the workforce, cause loss of production, and force the expenditure of unplanned time and fiscal resources to mitigate. They can…
DG Digest: PHMSA addresses ICAO and IMDG Code issues surrounding regulatory freeze
February wraps up with the “regulatory freeze” still in effect in the United States. As such, new US regulatory activity remains low. Rumors continue to swirl regarding imminent release of the USDOT/PHMSA HM-215N UN Harmonization; however, as of press time Monday morning it has not appeared and it is not presently on the schedule for... Read more [...]
DG Digest: HM-215N Limbo and the EPA Releases (Draft) Greenhouse Gas Emissions — 1990-2015
Today marks the beginning of the second month of the “regulatory freeze” order by the new Trump Administration. Action in the field remains at a low level as the often brand-new leadership in the various federal agencies goes about reviewing the current status of their respective departments’ projects. On the DOT front, speculation continues over... Read more [...]
Don’t sing the Dangerous Goods Symposium blues—sign up now!
Register today! Rates go up March 1. Labelmaster will host the 12th annual Dangerous Goods Symposium September 6-8, 2017 at Chicago’s historic Drake Hotel. The Drake has hosted presidents, foreign dignitaries and even royalty, but it may be most famous for its role as a set in The Blues Brothers, that 1980 classic featuring so…
DG Digest: OSHA Collection Request for Info on Construction Fall Protection and Delay in New STB Metric
And the freeze goes on. The United States continues to labor under the regulatory freeze imposed by the new administration. No specific end dates have yet been set for the action. One hopeful rumor (and it is at this point only rumor) is that the new Transportation Secretary, the Honorable Ms. Elaine Chao, may soon... Read more [...]
Rated DG: What if famous horror movies were about Dangerous Goods?
When you’re obsessed with Dangerous Goods compliance, you start to see hazmat-related themes everywhere. Here at Labelmaster, we scrutinize TV shows for correct hazmat labeling. We watch major football games through a hazmat-tinted lens. We even halfway believe Game of Thrones is actually about hazmat. Clearly, we are not normal people. And most scary movies…
DG Digest: Riding the Deep Freeze…and the CPSC to Hear Arguments on Portable Generator Emissions
The third week of the regulatory freeze finds the anticipated result impacting the current pace of activity—the last week saw action drop off to a minimal level. At present, when and how the freeze will lift and exactly what final impact it may have on what was planned before its implementation remains unclear—we’ll be watching... Read more [...]
Trump Freezes PHMSA HM-215N: The Impact on Lithium Battery Shippers
We mentioned in our January 30th DG Digest blog that the anticipated PHMSA HM-215N Final Rule was withdrawn as a result of President Trump’s executive memoranda that put a freeze on all new regulations. Here’s some additional information on how this temporarily impacts lithium battery shippers. As you know, the HM-215N Final Rule would have…
DG Digest: regulatory freeze may mean rollbacks and will PHMSA preempt Oregon’s haz waste rule?
The new week brings with it uncertainty over the current regulatory situation. On January 21st, 2017, the newly installed Trump Administration imposed a regulatory freeze on US federal rulemaking. As a result, rules not yet finalized for submission to the Federal Register were placed in hold status; rules which had been finalized but were not... Read more [...]
Can autonomous trucks handle hazmat shipments safely?
You’ve probably seen a number of articles and videos over the last year or so, proclaiming that autonomous vehicles—also known as “driverless” cars and trucks—will be commonplace on our highways within a few years. That future is coming, and maybe sooner than a lot of folks thought. Last October, an autonomous truck created by Otto…
DG Digest: PHMSA Harmonization, DOT Updates Drug-Test Program, and the EPA Modernizes Risk Management Plan
The week kicks off with the new Trump administration in place in Washington placing a “moratorium” on new rulemaking on the federal level. Rulemakings already in the pipeline will potentially be delayed as well. At press time the exact impact of the action is still somewhat cloudy. Be sure to see next week’s blog for... Read more [...]
Did our hazmat labels and other markings impress this design critic?
Some of our friends and customers shared a lively LinkedIn conversation recently about the merits of the new Class 9 lithium battery labels. Most people thought the labels did an effective job telling carriers and receivers that packages contained lithium batteries. But design critic Stewart D.O. North was less complimentary. “That cluster of objects looks…
Infographic | The Essential ERG (Emergency Response Guide)
The Emergency Response Guide—better known as the ERG— is the first resource for identifying and responding to chemical hazards in a transportation emergency. You’ll find it anywhere people have a stake in the safe handling, transport and storage of Dangerous Goods. New additions, revisions and updates make the 2016 ERG the most essential ever. Here…
DG Digest: Marking Our One Year Anniversary with an Issue Packed-Full of DG News!
Happy Martin Luther King Day, everyone! I hope that this Civil Rights pioneer’s great legacy will help to positively inform your week. It’s also the first anniversary of this blog—the DG Digest is a year old today! I enjoy bringing you the latest and greatest from the world of DG Transport, Environmental, and HS&E regulations... Read more [...]
DGTV: Three TV shows that (mostly) got hazmat right
It’s easy (and often fun) to criticize movies and TV shows for getting things wrong, especially if it’s in an area near and dear to your heart. Whether it’s an anachronistic costume element, an improperly restored vintage car, or a storyline that violated established franchise canon, there are plenty of people out there ready to…
DG Digest: ICAO corrigendum, FAA/PHMSA plan virtual joint meeting, and EPA asks for comments on existing regulations