FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2015

NEW RULES CALL FOR NEW PACKAGING

Due to HM224-F battery shippers must reevaluate packaging to ensure safety and compliance

HAZPlus®, a St. Louis based hazardous materials packaging supplier has expanded its product line to offer stock and custom solutions that are compliant with HM224-F, the recent PHMSA ruling regarding the shipment of lithium ion and lithium metal batteries. HM224-F goes into effect on August 6^th of this year and if unprepared, companies that ship these batteries risk their supply chains being shut down due to noncompliance.

HM224-F is a long awaited ruling that amends many of the existing transportation regulations and adds several new provisions related to lithium ion and lithium metal cells and batteries. Although all the regulations are now harmonized on a national and international level, it is a daunting job for even deeply experienced companies to figure out exactly what this new ruling means to them.  Especially considering the rules change whether the batteries are shipped by ground, air, rail, waterway or sea- and change again whether they are being shipped in-country or internationally.  For these reasons, regulators, consultants, testing labs, and manufacturers all attest to the value of utilizing the services of an experienced hazardous materials packing consultant or package supplier. “Of all the benefits any packager can offer – compliant packaging, time and cost savings, reliable service – confidence in the degree of regulatory knowledge may rank highest of all,” says Lynn Bowman, HAZPlus® Packaging Consultant.

Recognizing that companies will be scrambling to be stay compliant, the new lithium battery packaging from HAZPlus® has been specifically designed, tested, and certified with the new regulations in mind. For maximum convenience these general kits are in stock and ready to use. However, HAZPlus® understands that there are a great number of different lithium batteries and cells, in a wide variety of sizes and specifications, and that stock packaging will not meet the needs of all battery shippers. That is why HAZPlus® made it a priority to become experts on conceptualizing, designing, and manufacturing custom UN packaging programs for lithium ion and lithium metal batteries.

Regardless of who designs and manufactures the packaging for a company’s batteries, it must then be tested and certified to be considered compliant. Since few packagers have the capacity to test each package as the DOT requires, most shippers must send their package samples to a 3rd party testing laboratory. “To be on top of all the regulatory changes, we needed to build our own certified test lab on site,” says Patrick Edwards, Director of Operations. “Setting up as a one-stop shop means the customer doesn’t have to take the package somewhere else for testing. We design, produce, test and certify every package.” By addressing this need, HAZPlus® sets themselves apart from other hazardous materials packagers.

HAZPlus®, the UN Packaging division of C.L. Smith, designs, tests, certifies and manufactures CFR49 regulated hazardous materials packaging.  With our own UN Package Testing Lab, wide assortment of stock, and custom packaging and dangerous goods experts to help navigate the HM-224 F ruling, we provide a seamless experience for compliance confidence.  Learn more about Damaged and Defective, Prototype and Low Production, and our custom Lithium Battery Kits!