The maximum civil penalties for violations of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) were raised in a Final Rule published in the Federal Register last month. The HMR mandates how shippers must classify, package, mark, label, and document hazmat shipments for ground, air, or ocean transport. The maximum penalty for hazmat shipping violations rose to $75,000 per day/per violation, and the maximum penalty for violations that result in death, significant injury, or property damage is now $175,000 per day, per violation.
In addition to the increase in civil penalties, a number of new rules are already affecting shippers nationwide. Major rule changes promulgated in 2013 include clarifications and removal of some special provisions, changes to the requirements for shipping papers and Proper Shipping Names, updated training recordkeeping requirements, and revisions to the Hazardous Materials Table (49 CFR 172.101). Ground shippers must follow a new sequence for Basic Descriptions on shipping papers, new rules for lithium batteries and auto parts, the phase-out of the ORM-D air allowance, and more.
Air shippers must comply with the 54th edition of IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations, including new rules for chemicals under pressure, di minimus quantities, and lithium batteries, and an updated List of Dangerous Goods. The latest IMDG Code includes hundreds of changes to the ocean shipping rules, and compliance with the new rules for vessel shippers is mandatory starting January 1, 2014.
With the rules for shipping hazmat changing rapidly and fines on the rise, a thorough understanding of the latest rules is critical to shipping success. To help shipping and logistics managers and their teams navigate and comply with the latest DOT, IATA, and IMO hazmat shipping rules, Lion will present the Multimodal Hazmat Shipper Certification Workshops in area cities in July.
The comprehensive four-day program consists of the two-day DOT (ground) workshop and one day each of IATA (air) and IMO (vessel) training. The complete program will be presented in Boston on July 8-11, Northern NJ on July 15-18, and Hartford on July 16-19.
The two-day Hazardous Materials Transportation Certification workshop and the one-day Hazardous Materials Air Shipper Certification (IATA) workshop will be presented in Baltimore on July 22-24. The two-day ground shipper workshop will be presented in Philadelphia on July 25-26 and Williamsburg on July 29-30.
For more information, email info@lion.com.
