US shipper faces hazmat fine
02 / 03 / 2015
SHIPPER VT Milcom is facing a US$91,000 fine by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for allegedly violating hazardous materials regulations.
The telecommunications company sent two, one-gallon metal containers of paint for shipment by FedEx from Virginia Beach to Jacksonville in July 2013, says the FAA.
Staff at the integrator’s sorting facility discovered that leaking paint had soaked through the shipping boxes. Paint is a hazard class-three flammable liquid.
The FAA claims the shipment “was not accompanied by shipping papers to indicate the hazardous nature of its contents and was not marked, labeled or packed in accordance with the hazardous materials regulations”.
The box was not packed to prevent the containers from breaking or leaking. Finally, the package failed to protect against a release of hazardous material into the environment under normal transportation conditions, it adds.
The FAA alleges VT Milcom offered the shipment without providing emergency response information and also failed to ensure the employee preparing the shipment did so under the direct supervision of a properly trained hazmat employee.
VT Milcom has requested an informal conference with the FAA.
