This month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) seems to be cracking down on several alleged violations against Amazon involving hazardous materials being shipped incorrectly.
Within a two week period, the FAA has reported three separate 2014 incidents which cite violation of the Hazardous Materials Regulations and proposes civil penalties totaling $480,000.
The largest fine proposed was a $350,000 penalty which led to nine UPS workers receiving minor injuries. According to the report, Amazon shipped an improperly packaged and labeled shipment of a one-gallon container of a corrosive drain cleaner.
Two other unrelated cardboard boxes containing a corrosive which leaked through the packaging were offered by Amazon to FedEx for air transportation in May 2014. There was a total of six one-gallon jugs of Rid O' Rust Stain Preventer Acid Well Water Formula in the boxes that were being shipped from Plainfield, Illinois to Davenport, Florida. The FAA said in a news release that it is proposing a $78,000 civil penalty against Amazon for the violation.
Another alleged incident reported by the FAA says that in June 2014 Amazon offered UPS an incorrectly packaged cardboard box containing 19 ounces of Simple Air EZ Green HVAC Cleaner, a flammable gas, for air transportation between Whitestown, Indiana and Glendale, California.
Of the three incidents reported so far, the FAA alleges in a press release that the packages in question were "not properly marked, labeled, packaged or accompanied by shipping papers indicating the amount, type and hazardous nature of the material inside. The FAA also alleges Amazon did not provide required emergency response information with the shipment."
