Search

US Postal Service Revises Standards for Hazardous Material

Posted on 7/29/2014 by James Griffin

On July 24, 2014, the United States Postal Service, in Postal Bulletin 22394, declared its intention to revise the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) as part of an initiative to eliminate redundancy and streamline information. For lithium battery shippers, this revision is especially important: Under Section 662.52 of the DMM, the allowance for mailing laptops and other portable electronics powered by lithium-ion batteries through airmail has been restored. 
 
Hazmat shippers should note that Part 601 of the DMM Mailability, which covers hazardous, restricted, and perishable mail, has been heavily revised. New section 601.8 provides a high-level overview of hazardous, restricted, and perishable mail. For detailed instructions, USPS guides mailers to Publication 52 “Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail.”
 
Publication 52 was itself revised effective May 15, 2015 in Postal Bulletin 22389.
 
Hazardous mail is discussed in Chapter 3 of Publication 52. Section 332 summarizes the USPS’s standards on mailing hazardous material to “generally limit the mailing of hazardous materials to ORM-D (permitted for surface transportation only until January 1, 2021), and consumer commodity or mailable limited quantity materials as defined in Sections 332-336 that meet USPS quantity limitations and packaging requirements.”
 
The revised Chapter 3 of Publication 52 now incorporates the US DOT’s elimination of the ORM-D classification and streamlined provisions for consignments of hazmat packed in limited quantity.
 
This revision also restores one allowance that stirred some controversy last year. Per Section 662.52 of Publication 52, individuals can again send laptops and other portable electronic equipment powered by lithium-ion batteries through airmail and to overseas APOs, as long as they conform to applicable standards of the post office and 49 CFR.

Tags: hazmat, lithium batteries, shipping

Find a Post

Recent Posts

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Lion courses are the standard to which all other workshops should strive for!

Brody Saleen

Registered Environmental Health Specialist

As always, Lion never disappoints

Paul Resley

Environmental Coordinator

I chose Lion's online webinar because it is simple, effective, and easily accessible.

Jeremy Bost

Environmental Health & Safety Technician

These are the best classes I attend each year. I always take something away and implement improvements at my sites.

Kim Racine

EH&S Manager

Lion is my preferred trainer for hazmat and DOT.

Jim Jani

Environmental Coordinator

The instructor had knowledge of regulations and understanding of real-world situations. The presentation style was engaging and fostered a positive atmosphere for information sharing.

Linda Arlen

Safety & Environmental Compliance Officer

The instructor was very engaging and helped less experienced people understand the concepts.

Steve Gall

Safety Leader

Attending Lion Technology classes should be mandatory for every facility that ships or stores hazmat.

Genell Drake

Outbound Lead

The instructor was excellent. They knew all of the material without having to read from a notepad or computer.

Gary Hartzell

Warehouse Supervisor

I like Lion's workshops the best because they really dig into the information you need to have when you leave the workshop.

Tom Bush, Jr.

EHS Manager

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Shipping papers are a crucial part of safely shipping hazardous materials. See the top 5 mistakes shippers make on shipping papers, and how to avoid them.

Download
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.