“What’s
in Your Package?”
Hazardous, illegal or dangerous items dropped off for
shipping at retail pack and ship locations by consumers and businesses,
inadvertently, may have been the source of serious safety issues as they
pass through the trucks, distribution hubs and aircraft of the major
carriers.
While the overwhelming majority
of our customers do not intentionally ship dangerous items, there have
been recent incidents where ‘hazardous, illegal, prohibited, dangerous
and restricted’ (HIPDR) goods have threatened the logistic systems of
the carriers, including their aircraft and trucks.
One solution to this problem is
a nationwide program designed to heighten awareness of the dangers of
shipping hazardous and illegal items among consumers and businesses.
The Ship Responsibly
program was designed by Associated Mail & Parcel Centers (AMPC), which
represents more than 3,000 retail mail and parcel shipping locations
nationally, all of them independent small businesses.
Research has shown that of 29
million pre-packed parcels presented for shipping at AMPC store member
locations, one in 200 contained HAZMAT or prohibited/restricted/illegal
contents in a recent 12-month period. |
The Ship
Responsibly program was created in response to an absence of
clear guidelines from the national carriers on shipping 'Hazardous,
Illegal, Prohibited,
Dangerous and Restricted'
(HIPDR) goods. The Ship Responsibly
program communicates the theme "What's In Your Package? You Might
Be Surprised" with signage and other consumer material,
conveying the message of awareness.
Recent incidents involving
packages shipped by individuals or businesses without disclosing their
contents that were "close calls," and tragic accidents were
attributed to hazardous materials being improperly shipped. In July of
1997 a FedEx cargo plane crashed and caught fire at Newark (NJ)
International Airport. The FAA finding: ignition of unknown hazardous
material. The May 1996 ValuJet crash in the Florida Everglades was
attributed to a fire caused by improperly packaged oxygen canisters in the
forward cargo hold.
More recently, a tractor
battery that was not identified by the individual sending it leaked acid
in a carrier’s logistic system, including the aircraft on which it was
transported. In another instance, in San Diego, a carrier’s driver and
others in the vicinity narrowly escaped serious injury when a computer
backup power supply exploded as the package in which it was shipped was
unloaded from the delivery truck.
Do you know “What’s in Your Package?”
Please Ship Responsibly!
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