U.S. regulators tighten hoverboard transport security over safety concerns

The Department of Transportation is warning that companies are not following hazmat shipping requirements for this season’s popular toy and Customs is on the look out for hoverboards with counterfeit batteries.    The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Thursday issued a safety alert for the transportation of hoverboards containing lithium batteries after investigators intercepted 32 cargo containers filled with hoverboards containing lithium batteries that were improperly prepared for shipment of a hazardous material.
   Hoverboards, self-balancing, two-wheeled, motorized platforms that resemble skateboards with a gyroscope for determining pitch and balance, were among the most popular gift items this holiday season. Many of them are being made in China, and there have been numerous reports of fires possibly caused by substandard and counterfeit batteries within some hoverboards.
   Lithium batteries have been scrutinized by regulators for years because they can generate intense heat and catch fire or explode, especially when subject to vibration, temperature and pressure variations, and other variables involved in transport. When not shipped according to hazmat safety requirements they can put an ocean vessel or airplane at risk.
   PHMSA, an agency within the Department of Transportation, said investigators determined that more than 80 percent of shippers were unable to produce the valid test reports to prove that the lithium batteries had been properly manufactured and packaged to maintain integrity during transport.
   Cargo shipments of hoverboards containing lithium batteries must be identified on shipping papers, tested, and prepared for shipment as required for the specific mode of transportation employed. Failure to comply can carry large civil penalties and potential criminal liability.
   Meanwhile, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is recommending that consumers not charge hoverboards overnight or while unattended, and to look for a certification label from a national safety testing on the product before purchase. And many airlines have banned the items in both carry-on and checked baggage.
   One reason for heightened concern about the safety of hoverboard batteries is that some being imported into the United States are not being made by reputable manufacturers.
   U.S. Customs and Border Protection said earlier this month that it has seized 164 of the recreational devices with fake batteries or other counterfeit marks. The agency has issued alerts to field personnel to closely inspect the products for intellectual property rights violations.
   In fiscal year 2014, CBP seized fake batteries with a total retail selling price of almost $12 million. One seizure comprised 18 commercial shipments of counterfeit rechargeable toys for allegedly infringing on the underwriters’ laboratories registered and recorded U.S. trademark.