We do a lot of hazardous materials transportation training where we teach persons from industry how to properly package, label and ship hazardous materials by ground, air and by sea. Although each method is overseen in the U.S. by the Department of Transportation (DOT), there are international guidelines that DOT defers to when it comes to air and sea shipments. These are the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for air and the International Maritime Organization who publishes the International Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG) for vessel/sea shipments. Training is required for DOT, IATA and IMDG shipments.

Anyone who signs off on a hazardous waste manifest needs ground training as they are the ones who are certifying that the shipment is safely packaged and labeled, even if the hazmat transporter company does all the work/paperwork. Thus, we have a lot of students who come to training just because of hazardous waste. However, once they get in there, we have found that many who thought they were just shipping hazardous waste were actually sending other hazardous materials and didn’t even realize it (or knew that someone in the company was).

Below is a list of commonly shipped hazardous materials that you may or may not know about. Is your company shipping any of these and do those people who are sending these out have proper training?

More Commonly Recognized Hazardous Materials Shipped

Hazardous Waste
Paints and Inks
Acetone
Fuels
Alcohols
Solvents
Glues
Industrial Chemicals
Compressed Gases – Oxygen Bottles, Nitrogen Bottles, Carbon Dioxide Cylinders
Refrigerant Gases
Batteries – All Kinds, Especially Lithium Batteries
Biological Samples
Mercury and Things Containing Mercury
Radioactive Material
Aerosol Sprays

Less Commonly Known – Easily Missed Hazmat

Patch and Repair Kits with Touch-up Paints and Glues in Them
Paint Markers
Parts and Engines With Residual Fuel in Them Post-Testing
Dry Ice
Fire Extinguishers
Magnets
Self-Inflating Life Saving Equipment, Including Those for Aircraft and Automobile Air Bags
Squibs
Bleaches and Ammonia-Based Cleaning Products
First Aid Kits
Equipment With Backup Batteries in Them
Medical Supplies

Office and Household Items Considered Hazmat

Smoke Detectors
Insecticides and Pest Control Products
Wood Treatment Products (Sealants and Varnishes)
Perfumes and Colognes
Essential Oils
Nail Polish and Nail Polish Remover
Aerosol Hair Sprays and Dry Shampoos
Camping Equipment (Stoves and Kerosene Bottles)
Car Batteries
Pool Chemicals
Fireworks

Keep in mind this isn’t an exhaustive list, but some ideas for other products to look out for at your work and home.

Know How Your Materials Will Be Sent

The regulations for DOT (ground), IATA (air) and IMDG (vessel) can be very different from product to product and even country to country. There are certain items that cannot be put on a plane or cannot be sent to certain countries. Know exactly how your materials are going to be shipped. Sometimes when you intend for something to be sent via ground, it may get put on a plane anyway. If you only intend for it to be sent by ground you must make sure it’s marked accordingly. Also, if you want to ship something quickly, because some items cannot go on planes, overnight service may not be an option. Plan ahead and plan accordingly.

Make Sure Your Workers Are Trained and It’s Documented

Most importantly, make sure you and those shipping hazmat are properly trained, and that training is well documented, including copies of materials, certificates, tests and agendas. Make sure new people to the shipping process are trained within the required date guidelines of the regulations and that their job description includes hazmat training. A regulatory auditor will ask you to pull employment records to prove that.

Anyone involved in the hazmat shipping process is required to have training – those who package and label, those who fill out the paperwork (even if it’s an admin assistant), those who load and unload cargo, those who choose the packaging and labels/placards and determines it’s proper, supervisors of hazmat shippers, and anyone signing paperwork.

If you have any questions about shipping hazardous materials or would like some pricing to have workers at your site trained, contact us today!

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