Ignorance isn’t innocence when it comes to storing and shipping hazardous materials. If your business sells products that fall under the category of hazardous materials or dangerous goods, it’s important you partner with a 3PL knowledgeable in hazardous materials regulations. In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of partnering with a HAZMAT certified warehouse, different classes of hazardous materials, and how to operate in a highly regulated industry while avoiding penalties and fees.
What Are Hazardous Materials?
It’s common to think of ‘hazardous’ or ‘dangerous’ products as referring to highly toxic chemicals like nuclear waste. But it also encompasses everyday items that require special handling. Products that could cause harm to the person carrying it if it drops, breaks, spills, or comes in contact with another substance all fall under the ‘hazardous’ or ‘dangerous’ category.
The US Department of Transportation (US DOT) requires anyone handling and shipping HAZMAT materials to be trained in doing so. Fines and penalties for non-compliance — and potential legal action if you are found to have willfully ignored any regulations — exist. So if you’re looking to outsource fulfillment, it’s important to partner with a 3PL certified and experienced in storing and shipping hazardous materials.
What Is a HAZMAT Shipping Certification?
Anyone who works in the handling, storage, or transportation of dangerous goods and hazardous materials must complete a HAZMAT shipping certification. HAZMAT training helps employees recognize hazardous materials, be aware of the associated risks, and ensure that shipments are in compliance with regulations.
When looking for a 3PL that can handle shipping hazardous goods, it’s also important to ensure their team is certified by the Dangerous Goods Council. Some of the major certifications to look out for include:
- 49 CFR – Code of Federal Regulations
- IATA – International Air Transport Association
- IMDG – International Maritime Dangerous Goods
- Classes 2, 3, 9 (Including Lithium Batteries)
Why Does Your 3PL Need to Be HAZMAT Compliant?
A clear understanding of the rules and regulations allows a 3PL to focus on serving the customer safely. All of this means you can store inventory and ship products to your customers without worrying about illegal or costly and dangerous on-the-job accidents.
Without a 3PL that understands HAZMAT material storage and shipping, you run the risk of dissatisfied customers and, worse still, costly fines and detrimental penalties to your business for failing to abide by industry standards.
What Are the Different Classes of Hazardous Materials?
Given that some products categorized as ‘hazardous materials’ aren’t always as obvious as others (e.g., nail polish and perfume), it’s important to define the different classes of hazardous materials so you can make sure you’re taking the necessary shipping and storage precautions.
Class 1: Explosives
As the name implies, these are products likely to explode under certain conditions. This class is further broken down into six divisions:
- Division 1.1: Explosives with a mass explosion hazard
- Division 1.2: Explosives with a projection hazard
- Division 1.3: Explosives with predominantly a fire hazard
- Division 1.4: Explosives with no significant blast hazard
- Division 1.5: Very insensitive explosives
- Division 1.6: Extremely insensitive explosive articles
Examples of Class 1 HAZMAT products include ammunition, gun powder, fireworks, airbag inflators, and seat belt pretensioners.
Class 2: Gases
These are products that contain gases that are dangerous when inhaled or when they make contact with a surface. This class is further broken down into four divisions:
- Division 2.1: Flammable gases
- Division 2.2: Non-flammable gases
- Division 2.3: Poison gases
- Division 2.4: Corrosive gases
Examples of Class 2 HAZMAT products include aerosols (spray paint, household cleaners, bathroom sprays, and spray cosmetics such as hair care products, deodorants, and perfumes), propane tanks, lighters, pepper spray, scuba tanks, self-inflating rafts, and fire extinguishers.
Class 3: Flammable Liquids
These are liquids that will ignite when making contact with fire. This class is further broken down into three divisions:
- Division 3.1: Flashpoint below -18°C (0°F)
- Division 3.2: Flashpoint below -18°C and above, but less than 23°C (73°F)
- Division 3.3: Flashpoint 23°C and up to 61°C (141°F)
Examples of Class 3 HAZMAT products include gasoline, nail polish, lighter refills, oil-based paints, paint thinner, and varnish.
Class 4: Flammable Solids
Products that will ignite when making contact with fire fall into this category. This class is further broken down into three divisions:
- Division 4.1: Flammable solids
- Division 4.2: Spontaneously combustible materials
- Division 4.3: Materials that are dangerous when wet
Examples of Class 4 HAZMAT products include matches, sulfur, coal, fish oil, potassium, sodium, and sodium batteries.
Class 5: Oxidizers/Organic Peroxides
These are chemicals that readily yield oxygen in reactions, thereby causing or enhancing combustion. This class is further broken down into two divisions:
- Division 5.1: Oxidizers
- Division 5.2: Organic peroxides
Examples of Class 5 HAZMAT products include ammonium nitrate fertilizers, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, and sodium nitrate.
Class 6: Toxic and Infectious Substances
In this class are substances that can cause death, serious injury, or harm to humans if inhaled or swallowed. Infectious substances are known to carry pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.). This class is further broken down into two divisions:
- Division 6.1: Poisonous materials
- Division 6.2: Etiologic (infectious) materials
Examples of Class 6 HAZMAT products include biomedical waste (e.g., blood samples and used needles), arsenic, pesticides, and nicotine.
Class 7: Radioactive Material
This is any material or combination of materials that spontaneously gives off ionizing radiation. It has a specific activity greater than 0.002 microcuries per gram.
Examples of Class 7 HAZMAT products include medical isotopes, radioactive medicines, isotopes used in research (Carbon-14, etc.), X-ray machines, and depleted uranium.
Class 8: Corrosives
A corrosive is a material, liquid, or solid that causes visible destruction or irreversible alteration to human skin, or a liquid that has a severe corrosion rate on steel or aluminum.
Examples of Class 8 HAZMAT products include sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, wet and NiCad batteries, drain cleaner, paint and paint stripper, and mercury thermometers and barometers.
Class 9: Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials
Products in this class include materials that present a hazard during transport, but are not included in another hazardous freight classification.
Examples of Class 9 HAZMAT products include dry ice, lithium-ion batteries, vehicles, and first-aid kits.
Hazardous Materials Storage Guidelines
Hazardous materials must be separated from incompatible materials and provided with proper secondary containment during storage. Any 3PL storing or handling hazardous materials is required to do routine, documented self-inspections of the storage areas.
When looking to partner with a 3PL that can handle fulfillment of hazardous materials, it’s important to find one capable of flagging hazardous orders and separating them into their own workflow to follow chemical shipping regulations. It’s also important to find a HAZMAT certified warehouse with a process in place to ensure proper labeling occurs. Failing to properly label a shipment will result in improper storage and shipping of the product, which is both non-compliant and dangerous.
The Benefits of Outsourcing HAZMAT Product Fulfillment
With all of the moving parts and regulatory requirements associated with HAZMAT material storage and shipping, outsourcing fulfillment to a 3PL with a HAZMAT certification can save you a lot of time, energy, and potentially money. We’ll take a look at some of the top benefits of partnering with a 3PL knowledgeable in storing and shipping hazardous materials below.
Benefit #1: Identification
A qualified 3PL can identify potentially hazardous material and implement processes to ensure compliance before an issue arises. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) labels a hazardous material as ‘any article or substance that is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property during transportation’. However, many products that fall under the ‘HAZMAT’ category are less obvious to decipher.
Some of the commonly shipped items on the hazardous materials list include:
- Cosmetics (nail polish, hair care products, and perfumes)
- Building supplies (adhesives and paints, varnish, shellac, polish, and lacquer)
- Electronics (appliances and any device that contains fuel or batteries)
- Food and beverages
- Nutraceuticals (supplements or dietary products)
- Medical and healthcare products (iodine, medicinal tinctures, rubbing alcohol, first aid kits, or thermometers and other items containing mercury)
- Alternative wellness products containing certain essential oils or CBD oil
A HAZMAT certified 3PL will be able to identify if an item or a piece of an item is on the long list of hazardous materials.
Benefit #2: Avoid Fees and Fines
In the past, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fined a major retailer $140,000 due to improper shipping-paper declarations on their 3 oz bottles of nail color and 5 oz containers of sunblock. The fine was because the nail polish should have been classified as a flammable liquid and the sunblock as a flammable gas. Another company received a $91,000 fine because of an undeclared shipment of skincare products containing alcohol.
A 3PL experienced and trained in storing and shipping hazardous materials will have a full understanding of transportation guidelines, including the regulations and procedures with which to comply when shipping by air, ground, rail, and sea.
Benefit #3: Cost-Effective
A qualified 3PL will have strong internal processes and controls for product handling, fulfillment, and packaging that support requirements, increase efficiencies, and lower overall costs.
Benefit #4:Time and Energy Saving
Focusing on order fulfillment — no matter the product — can be time consuming, let alone in a highly regulated industry. Outsourcing fulfillment to a 3PL can free you up from the day-to-day worries of storing and shipping and allow you to focus on what you do best — building your business.
Benefit #5: Peace of Mind
Knowing your products are being stored and shipped in a manner compliant with your industry’s regulations is priceless. A 3PL experienced with dangerous goods will have training standards for all employees involved in dangerous goods packing services, as well as a quality control process in place to reduce the risk of any packages being shipped out of compliance.
Understanding the ins and outs of hazardous materials regulations is likely too big of an endeavor for most businesses to tackle. That’s why it’s important to find a 3PL with a HAZMAT certified warehouse to make sure your business can continue to thrive while staying regulatory compliant.
Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of shipping hazardous materials? At Jay Group, our team of dangerous goods experts have the knowledge and expertise needed to operate in a highly regulated industry. Contact us today to see how we can help your business with order fulfillment.
This blog was originally published on March 19, 2019. It was updated on January 7, 2022.
