FAA fines 11 companies for hazmat violations

FAA fines 11 companies for hazmat violations    The Federal Aviation Administration this month fined 10 shippers and one express carrier for shipping undeclared boxes of flammable products by air in violation of hazardous material safety regulations.
   Most of the violations were discovered by UPS employees at the company's Worldport package hub in Louisville, Ky. The companies and civil penalties are:
   ' Boston Scientific of Natick, Mass., $91,000 for a shipment of medical-grade silicone fluid. DHL employees at the company's Cincinnati sorting hub discovered the leaking box.
   ' Westfield Coatings Corp, Westfield, Mass., $78,000 for a shipment of paint.
   ' Fragrance Resources Inc., Clifton, N.J., $54,000 for shipping an undisclosed flammable liquid, possibly perfume given the company's name.
   ' Flight Options LLC, Cleveland, $65,000 for transporting isopropyl alcohol.
   ' Hammelman Corp., Dayton, Ohio, $54,000 for shipping methanol.
   ' Kemet Electronics Corp., Simpsonville, S.C., $58,000 for a shipment of silver paint.
   ' MSI Aircraft MTC SVS International GmbH, Ruesselsheim, Germany, $56,000 for shipping a fuel control unit to FedEx for transport to Miami.
   ' FedEx Express, Memphis, Tenn., $65,000 for allegedly accepting a box of an unspecified toxic, corrosive liquid classified as poison. An FAA hazmat special agent identified the mislabeled shipment before it could be loaded on an aircraft.
   ' Vitacost, Lexington, N.C., $54,000, for a shipment of flammable liquid and a non-hazardous material.
   ' Cardinal Health, Madison, Miss., $91,000 for a shipment of skin care products via DHL.
   ' PSS Medical, Lubbock, Texas, $54,000 for a box of ammonium nitrate.
   In all instances, the companies allegedly offered the hazardous material for transportation (or, in the case of Federal Express, accepted it) when it was not packaged, marked, classed, described, labeled or in condition for shipment as required by regulations, the FAA said.
   Companies have 30 days from notification of the proposed penalties to respond to the agency.