FAA Proposes Fines For Hazmat Violations

Aug 11, 2010 07:28 AM

 FAA has proposed civil penalties ranging from $54,000 to $91,000 against 11 companies for alleged violations of DOT hazardous materials regulations.

The cases and proposed fines are:

• $91,000 against Boston Scientific Corp. of Natick, Mass., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing medical-grade silicone fluid, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Alajuela, Costa Rica, to Boston Scientific headquarters, Oct. 23, 2009.

• $78,000 against Westfield Coatings Corp., of Westfield, Mass., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing paint, a flammable liquid, for transportation by air from Westfield to Hudson, N.C., Aug. 11, 2009.

• $54,000 against Fragrance Resources, Inc., of Clifton, N.J., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a flammable liquid for transportation by air from Clifton to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 23, 2009.

• $65,000 against Flight Options, LLC of Cleveland for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing isopropyl alcohol, a flammable liquid, to UPS for transportation by air from Cleveland to Las Vegas, Sept. 9, 2009.

• $54,000 against the Hammelman Corp., Dayton, Ohio, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing methanol, a flammable liquid, for transportation by air from Pompano Beach, Fla., to Dayton, March 23, 2010.

• $58,000 against Kemet Electronics Corp. of Simpsonville, S.C., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing silver paint, a flammable liquid, to UPS for transportation by air from Brownsville, Texas, to Simpsonville, Texas, Aug. 20, 2009.

• $56,000 against MSI Aircraft MTC SVS International, GMBH of Ruesselsheim, Germany, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a fuel control unit, to FedEx for transportation by air from Ruesselsheim to Miami, May 22, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. A fuel control unit containing jet fuel is considered a hazardous material.

• $65,000 against Federal Express of Memphis for allegedly accepting a fiberboard box containing an unspecified toxic, corrosive liquid classified as a poison, for transportation by air from Oxford, Ala., to Chino, Calif., April 1, 2010. An FAA hazardous materials special agent identified the mislabeled shipment before it could be loaded on an aircraft.

• $54,000 against Vitacost.com of Lexington, N.C., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a flammable liquid and non-hazardous material for transportation by air from Lexington to Boca Raton, Fla., Jan. 29, 2010.

• $91,000 against Cardinal Health of Madison, Miss., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing skin care products containing alcohol, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Madison to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sept. 11, 2009.

• $54,000 against PSS Medical of Lubbock, Texas, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing ammonium nitrate, a corrosive material, to UPS for transportation by air from Lubbock to Las Cruces, N.M., Dec. 31, 2009.

In all instances, the companies allegedly offered the hazardous material for transportation (or, in the case of Federal Express, accepted it) when it was not packaged, marked, classed, described, labeled or in condition for shipment as required by regulations, FAA said.