Shipping Hazardous Materials

Before you ship

Assistance with shipping

Shipping certification

New regulations

Use of personal vehicles

References for online training

Before you ship hazardous materials

If you prepare, package, mark or label a shipment for a hazardous material, you must first be trained to do so according to US Department of Transportation requirements [49 CFR 173.1(3)(b)].

According to the US DOT, a hazardous material is defined as "...a substance or material, which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated".

This includes hazardous chemicals (corrosive, toxic, reactive, or flammable), infectious substances, radioactive substances, compressed gases, dry ice and more.

Shipping hazardous materials can be complicated. And, the consequences for doing it improperly can be high, including fines and possibly imprisonment! It is very important that you be certified to ship hazardous materials and understand and follow the pertinent national and international regulations before you ship anything hazardous.

Enviromental Health and Safety is required to notify the Department of Homeland Security if you ship certain listed substances governed by the recent Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards Title 6 CFR Part 27.

International shipments may also be subject to Import/Export requirements. Information on these requirements and contact information can be found on the UW’s Office of Sponsored Programs website.

Assistance with shipping your hazardous material

EH&S, in coordination with several departments around campus, offers assistance for UW students, faculty and staff who need to ship hazardous materials.

For assistance with all other hazardous materials, contact the Hazardous Materials Shipping Coordinator at 206.685.2849 or by email. We offer assistance only - you must already be trained and currently certified.

Certification for shipping hazardous materials

EH&S offers a Shipping and Transporting Hazardous Materials class which meets US DOT requirements. You must be re-certified every two years.

We also offer two online classes for those who only ship dry ice and non-dangerous goods or patient specimens or and some other biological materials (Biological Substances Category B):

Biological Substances Category B
Dry Ice with non-dangerous goods or Exempt Patient Specimens

Changes to Air Shipping Regulations for 2009

The two biggest changes that for 2009 that will affect certain shippers on campus are the changes to shipping Dangerous Goods in excepted quantities and the changes to the shipment of lithium batteries. Further information on the changes can be found in the following documents:

Dangerous Goods in Excepted Quantities.pdf
Lithium Batteries.pdf

Those were the two major changes that will most affect the UW. A complete list of all the changes for 2009 can be found at the following link:

www.iata.org/html_email/4490403-dgr_newsletter/dgr_newsletter_newl.html

Transportation by personal vehicle

You cannot transport hazardous materials in your personal vehicle for work related activities. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the Hazardous Materials Shipping Coordinator at 206.685.2849 or email chmwaste@u.washington.edu.

References for online Shipping Training class

Here, you can obtain a list of Common Category A and Category B Materials.pdf and IATA's packing instructions 650 to properly ship your hazardous materials.