When determining shipping services for hazardous materials and potentially dangerous goods, experience and reliable logistics are crucial for success. Hazardous materials and dangerous goods are often thrown under the same umbrella, but differ in many ways regarding their shipping requirements. When transporting hazardous materials or dangerous goods many challenges may occur, and shipping items incorrectly can result in disastrous consequences for a business. From public relations complications to egregious legal battles, it’s safe to say that by not properly researching and complying with federal shipping regulations a business can lose valuable time, money, and positive brand identity.
Shipping dangerous goods doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process, especially once the business has streamlined a consistent method for shipping their hazardous goods. In this article, we’ll explore hazmat shipping and the correct way to ship dangerous goods, as well as how ShipCalm’s logistic services can help with both!
Hazmat Shipping Requirements
There are very specific requirements for shipping hazardous materials, mostly about the nature of the goods and how the item is packaged. Hazardous materials are goods that could threaten our health. Businesses need to make sure they have gathered all the appropriate hazardous material shipping papers and supplies for preparing the shipment. The U.S. Department of Transportation has resources for learning how to properly classify and prepare hazardous shipping materials. For hazmat shipping, businesses need to ensure they have successfully:
- Classified material: After checking the DOT’s Safety Data Sheet, the party shipping hazardous materials must classify their shipment on the Hazardous Materials Table. This table provides specifications and rules for transporting the product.
- Selected proper packaging: Correct packaging is determined by the type and amount of hazardous goods being shipped. After identifying these, package the items in regulation with these requirements.
- Properly labeled packaging: For numerous hazardous materials, performance packaging may be required to provide instructions for properly shipping and disassembling the shipment. Make sure that packages include all requirement markings, which may include class labels, orientation arrows, shipper information, and more.
- Prepared shipping papers: Once the parcel has been appropriately prepared, it’s good to always ensure you have shipping papers ready that include all relevant shipping requirements, information, and data. This may be needed during the transport process but is always good to have on file.
When it comes to hazmat shipping, the logistics of getting products from point A to point B can be pretty mind-boggling. ShipCalm has extensive knowledge of hazardous materials shipping requirements so businesses can focus more on growth and less on shipping concerns.
Dangerous Goods Shipping Requirements
Dangerous goods are classified as products that pose a direct risk to people, property, or the environment. Shipping dangerous goods requires a similar process to hazmat shipping in that it requires appropriate classification and packaging of products to guarantee safety during transport. All necessary documentation needs to be gathered before shipping. The process for shipping dangerous goods involves:
- Material classification
- Inner and outer package limitations and requirements
- Proper Labelling of packaging
- Issuance of Dangerous Goods Documentation
List of Hazardous Materials Handled by ShipCalm
ShipCalm handles multiple classes of hazardous materials, including:
- Class 3: Flammable Liquids (items that contain alcohol)
- Class 4: Flammable/Combustible Solids (ex. confetti cannon)
- Class 5: Oxidizers/Organic Peroxide (ex: hydrogen peroxide, sodium nitrite
- Class 8: Corrosives (ex: sulphuric acid)
- Class 9: Consumer Commodity items for shipping.
But what kind of products tend to fall under the classification of hazardous materials? By contacting a ShipCalm representative, you can successfully handle countless hazardous materials. Simplify the process of shipping hazmat items such as:
- Wood treatment products (e.g., sealants, stains, varnishes)
- Fragrances (e.g., perfumes and colognes)
- Dry ice
- Fireworks – consumer and novelty
- Hand sanitizer
- Essential oils (flammable)
- Insecticides and pest control products
- Aerosol spray receptacles (e.g., household cleaners, disinfectants, hairspray, spray paint)
- Alcohols (e.g., rubbing alcohol, high-proof spirits)
- Bleaches
- Camping Equipment (e.g., camping stove, kerosene lanterns)
- Lithium batteries, including portable chargers and power banks
- Lighters and matches
- Nail polish and nail polish remover
- Consumer electronics with lithium batteries (e.g., cell phones, laptops)
- Inks (flammable)
- Smoke detectors
List of Hazardous Materials Not Handled by ShipCalm
While ShipCalm can help optimize your business’s shipping processes, we’re not able to ship all hazardous materials. ShipCalm doesn’t handle hazmat materials that fall under:
- Class 1: Explosives
- Class 2: Gases
- Class 6: Toxic substances and infectious substances
- Class 7: Radioactive materials
Verify if ShipCalm can handle your hazmat shipping needs by contacting a representative today. Generally speaking, we’re unable to provide services for shipping:
- Airbags and airbag inflators
- Ammunition and gun powders
- Car batteries
- Carbon dioxide canisters and cylinders
- Fertilizer compounds and ammonium nitrate fertilizers
- Fire extinguishers
- Fuels (e.g., gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, kerosene)
- Fuel-powered equipment (containing fuel)
- Mercury and articles that contain mercury
- Oxygen tanks (medical and recreational)
- Paints
- Paint thinners and removers
- Refrigerant gases (e.g., liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide)
- Scuba tanks
- Swimming pool chemicals
Reverse Logistics of Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Materials
When shipping hazardous materials or dangerous goods, it’s natural to occasionally experience a return every now and then. It’s better to return a classified item than have it ship unsuccessfully or worse, dangerously. ShipCalm offers comprehensive reverse logistic services to businesses not get overwhelmed by handling returns for their hazardous or dangerous products.
Let ShipCalm Help With Your Hazardous Material and Dangerous Goods Shipping Needs
From shipping hazardous materials and dangerous goods to helping e-commerce businesses warehouse their goods, ShipCalm is the third-party logistics service you’ve been seeking to simplify your shipping needs. Especially considering the risks of incorrectly shipping hazardous materials or dangerous goods, it’s smart to let the experts handle everything and focus on growing your business. Explore ShipCalm’s pricing today to learn more!
