Lithium Battery Shipper Fined $63K for HMR Violations, Including Training

Last month, a Hayward, CA battery manufacturer was fined $63,000 by US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for violations of the Hazardous Materials Regulations.

The company allegedly offered four 12.8-volt rechargeable lithium batteries for air transport and failed to comply with the US DOT’s hazmat shipping regulations.


Among the HMR violations FAA lists in its complaint are:

• No hazmat shipping papers,
• Package not marked or labeled as hazmat,
• Insufficient packaging,
• Failure to provide emergency response information, and
• Failure to train hazmat employees as required by 49 CFR 172, Subpart H.

The regulations for shipping lithium batteries by ground, air, and vessel are changing, making even small lithium battery shipments subject to exacting regulatory requirements. Read about the changes here.

Expert Training Before the Aug. 7 Deadline

The deadline for compliance with the new lithium battery shipping regulations is August 7, 2015. Be confident your shipping team is up to speed with the latest rules to avoid rejected shipments, incidents in transit, and civil penalties up to $75,000 per day, per violation. Attend the live, instructor-led Shipping Lithium Batteries Webinar on July 16 for function-specific training on new rules for classifying, naming, packaging, marking, labeling, and documenting lithium battery shipments.

Tags: DOT, hazmat shipping, lithium batteries, new rules