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FAA fines Jegs Automotive, Amazon for hazmat violations

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed fines against Jegs Automotive and Amazon in separate incidents involving undeclared flammable and toxic liquid shipments.

   The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $201,250 civil penalty against Jegs Automotive of Delaware, Ohio, for an undeclared hazardous materials shipment that was discovered leaking by FedEx employees at the express carrier’s Columbus, Ohio facility.
   The shipment, which was to be moved by air transport on March 11, 2016, to Edgewater, Fla., contained three 32-ounce metal cans of racing fuel concentrate, which is a flammable and toxic liquid.
   The FAA further alleged that Jegs did not provide emergency response information with the shipment and failed to ensure its employees received required hazmat training.
   In addition, the agency proposed a $91,000 civil penalty against Amazon for violating federal hazmat rules when it allegedly offered an undeclared hazmat shipment on May 7, 2016 to FedEx for air transport from Hebron, Ky., to Marshall, Minn.
   The agency further alleges the shipment contained one 2.5 gallon plastic container of toxic clear diesel fuel and tank cleaner. FedEx’s sort facility workers in Sioux Falls, S.D. discovered the shipment was leaking.
   The FAA said Amazon did not provide emergency response information with the shipment and failed to ensure its employees had received required hazardous materials training.
   Since 2013, the FAA has assessed 22 civil penalties against Amazon totaling more than $1.4 million.

Chris Gillis

Located in the Washington, D.C. area, Chris Gillis primarily reports on regulatory and legislative topics that impact cross-border trade. He joined American Shipper in 1994, shortly after graduating from Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md., with a degree in international business and economics.