DOT offers lithium batteries transport rules

DOT offers lithium batteries transport rules    The U.S. Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Monday proposed regulations regarding the shipment of lithium cells and batteries by air.
   The batteries have been linked to a number of fires onboard aircraft in recent years and the subject of DOT testimony before the House railroads, pipelines and hazardous materials subcommittee on May 14, 2009 and a Sept. 10, 2009 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee oversight hearing on the PHMSA's operations.
   Some highlights of the proposed rule include:
   ' Eliminating regulatory exemptions for small lithium cells and batteries when included in an air shipment.
   ' Subjecting packages of small lithium batteries to well-recognized marking and labeling requirements for hazardous materials.
   ' Requiring transport documentation to accompany a shipment of small lithium batteries, including notifying the pilot in command of the presence and location of lithium batteries on board the plane.
   ' Requiring manufacturers to retain results of satisfactory completion of United Nations design-type tests for each lithium cell and battery type.
   ' Limiting stowage of lithium cell and battery shipments aboard planes to cargo locations accessible to the crew or locations equipped with an FAA-approve fire suppression system, unless transported in a container approved by the FAA.
   ' Applying appropriate safety measures for the transport of lithium cells or batteries identified as being defective for safety reasons, or those that have been damaged or are otherwise being returned to the manufacturer, and limiting the transportation of defective or damaged cells or batteries to highway and rail.
   House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders praised the DOT's proposed regulation. The committee on Nov. 19, 2009 approved and ordered reported to the full House H.R. 4016, the Hazardous Material Transportation Safety Act of 2009, which contains language requiring DOT to issue a rule regarding safe transport of lithium cells and batteries on planes.

Oberstar

   Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., warned that few people realize that lithium cells and batteries are considered dangerous materials because they're so commonplace in today's portable electronic devices. 'If not safely packaged and handled when transported in bulk, lithium cells and batteries can become dangerous,' Oberstar said.
   It's estimated that more than 3.3 billion lithium cells and batteries were transported worldwide in 2008, representing an 83 percent increase since 2005.
   To read the PHMSA's proposed rule, access the Federal Register notice.