Lion's office will be closed on Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day. For help with online training, please contact support@lion.com.
Search

PHMSA Provides Partial Relief for Shipping Hand Sanitizers and Disinfectants by Ground

Posted on 4/27/2020 by Lauren Scott

Disinfectants and hand sanitizers are critical to protect the health and safety of essential workers, especially those performing hands-on supply-chain jobs like packaging, materials handling, loading, unloading, and others. Because hand sanitizers are regulated as hazardous materials in transport, distributing these items poses a logistics and compliance challenge for transportation companies.

To make it easier for carriers to provide hand sanitizers and disinfectants to workers throughout the supply chain, PHMSA will provide relief for the transport of these items on a motor vehicle for the purpose of protecting the health and safety of employees and contractors who directly support a carrier’s logistical operations.

In a memo released April 20, PHMSA said this would allow hand sanitizers and disinfectants to be transported by a logistics company’s own transportation network without meeting the rigorous hazmat standards outlined in the HMR for Class 8 corrosive liquids.

Employers may qualify for temporary relief if they meet the following criteria:

(1) The sanitizing and disinfecting materials are intended to allow employees to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for protecting against COVID-19.

(2) The sanitizing and disinfecting materials are being provided to protect the health and safety of employees who directly support the operations of the carrier, such as by sorting packages, loading and unloading packages, and driving delivery vehicles.

(3) The sanitizing and disinfecting materials are transported by motor vehicle.

(4) The shipment complies with the hazard class, quantity, packaging, hazard communication, and aggregate gross weight requirements specified in 49 CFR 173.6 (Materials of Trade provisions).

(5) Transport of these materials for purposes other than use by employees of the carrier (e.g., retail sale) is not authorized.

If these terms are met, PHMSA will not issue any enforcement action related to the shipments of sanitizing and disinfecting products by motor vehicle. Shipments by air and vessel are still required to meet all HMR requirements, unless relief is provided elsewhere. This relief is only a temporary measure during the coronavirus pandemic.

Stay Home. Stay Certified. 

Keep your hazardous materials expertise sharp and your DOT certification up to date. At Lion.com/Hazmat, find comprehensive online courses that cover the latest 49 CFR, IATA DGR, and IMDG Code regulations you must know to ship by ground, air, or vessel. Complete hazmat training on your own schedule, at your own pace, and in your own home. 

Browse hazmat courses. 
 

Tags: disinfectant, DOT, hand sanitizer, hazmat, PHMSA, sanitizer, shipping disinfectant, shipping hand sanitizer

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Given the choice, I would do all coursework this way. In-person courses go very fast without the opportunity to pause or repeat anything.

Ellen Pelton

Chemical Laboratory Manager

More thorough than a class I attended last year through another company.

Troy Yonkers

HSES Representative

The price was reasonable, the time to complete the course was manageable, and the flexibility the online training allowed made it easy to complete.

Felicia Rutledge

Hazmat Shipping Professional

The online course was well thought out and organized, with good interaction between the student and the course.

Larry Ybarra

Material Release Agent

The instructor was very very informative, helpful, understandable and pleasant. This course answered many questions I had, being new to this industry.

Frances Mona

Shipping Manager

Lion courses always set the bar for content, reference, and practical application. Membership and access to the experts is an added bonus.

John Brown, CSP

Director of Safety & Env Affairs

The instructor was probably the best I ever had! He made the class enjoyable, was humorous at times, and very knowledgeable.

Mary Sue Michon

Environmental Administrator

Amazing instructor; real-life examples. Lion training gets better every year!

Frank Papandrea

Environmental Manager

Lion provided an excellent introduction to environmental regulations, making the transition to a new career as an EHS specialist less daunting of a task. Drinking from a fire hose when the flow of water is lessened, is much more enjoyable!

Stephanie Weathers

SHE Specialist

Lion is at the top of the industry in compliance training. Course content and structure are updated frequently to make annual re-training enjoyable. I like that Lion has experts that I can contact for 1 year after the training.

Caroline Froning

Plant Chemist

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

In-flight hazmat incidents can be disastrous. This guide gives 5 tips for first-time air shippers to consider before offering dangerous goods for transportation on passenger or cargo aircraft.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.