Search
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

I have over 26 years of environmental compliance experience, and it has been some time since I have attended an environmental regulations workshop. I attended this course as preparation for EHS Audits for my six plants, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Frank Sizemore

Director of Regulatory Affairs

The instructor clearly enjoys his job and transmits that enthusiasm. He made a dry subject very interesting and fun.

Teresa Arellanes

EHS Manager

I think LION does an excellent job of any training they do. Materials provided are very useful to my day-to-day work activities.

Pamela Embody

EHS Specialist

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

Gary Hartzell

Warehouse Supervisor

As always, Lion never disappoints

Paul Resley

Environmental Coordinator

If I need thorough training or updating, I always use Lion. Lion is always the best in both instruction and materials.

Bryce Parker

EHS Manager

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

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

The instructor does a great job at presenting material in an approachable way. I have been able to save my company about $30,000 in the last year with what I have learned from Lion!

Curtis Ahonen

EHS&S Manager

Best instructor ever! I was going to take my DOT training w/a different provider, but based on this presentation, I will also be doing my DOT training w/Lion!

Donna Moot

Hazardous Waste Professional

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Get to know the top 5 changes to OSHA’s revised GHS Hazard Communication Standard at 29 CFR 1910.1200 and how the updates impacts employee safety at your facility.

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.