FAA fines United, two shippers for hazmat violations

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed civil penalties against a large U.S. carrier and two shippers for alleged U.S. hazardous materials rules violations.

   The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $1.3 million civil penalty against United Airlines for allegedly violating U.S. hazardous materials regulations.
   FAA alleged during inspections in Boston, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago that it found at least 120 instances in which the airline failed to comply with the regulations. Almost all of the alleged violations involved failing to provide the pilot in charge of the aircraft with accurate information about hazardous materials on board the aircraft, including the location of the materials in the cargo hold; the materials’ type, quantity, weight, proper shipping name, identification number and hazard class; dates of the flights; and confirmation that no damaged or leaking packages had been loaded onto the plane.
   Further, FAA alleges on two separate occasions that United improperly accepted hazardous materials for air transportation. Additionally, the carrier allegedly failed to retain copies of shipping papers.
   The hazardous materials violations included lithium metal batteries, dry ice, corrosive liquids, radioactive materials, detonating fuses, compressed oxygen, engines, isopropanol, non-flammable aerosols, phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide and ethanol solutions, air bag modules and printing ink.
   The alleged violations occurred on both United’s domestic and international flights, FAA said.
   FAA said United told the agency it has made “technological improvements to the pilot notification system and will enhance training for employees who load hazardous materials onto aircraft.” The FAA will conduct inspections in early 2015 to assess the results of those changes.
   FAA has also proposed civil penalties against two shippers for alleged hazmat violations.
   Viabox of Elkhart, Ind., was prescribed a $70,020 civil penalty. FAA alleges on July 19, 2014 Viabox offered two containers containing flammable aerosol automotive products to FedEx for shipment by air to Montreal. FedEx employees discovered the aerosol cans and notified the agency.
   FAA alleges Viabox did not declare the hazardous materials, and the shipment was not properly classed, described, marked and labeled. The agency further alleges Viabox failed to ensure its employees received required hazardous materials training and did not provide emergency response information with the package.
   In addition, FAA issued a $63,000 civil penalty against Wholesale Electric Supply of Houston. The agency alleges on April 21, 2014, Wholesale Electric offered a fiberboard box containing two one-gallon containers of electric parts degreaser to UPS for shipment by air from Prairieville, La., to Woodward, Okla. About two quarts of the hazardous material leaked from one of the containers.
   The agency said the package was “not declared to contain hazardous materials and that the materials offered were not properly classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled and in proper condition for shipment under the hazardous materials regulations.” The FAA also alleges Wholesale Electric failed to train its employees on how to properly handle hazmat for transport.