University of Wisconsin learns hazmat lesson

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $70,050 civil penalty against the University of Wisconsin-Madison for alleged hazmat regulations violations.    The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $70,050 civil penalty against the University of Wisconsin-Madison for allegedly violating federal hazardous materials regulations.
   The FAA alleges that on Jan. 13, 2015, an official traveling on behalf of the university offered an undeclared hazardous material shipment to Delta Air Lines for transport on a domestic passenger flight from Madison to Minneapolis.
   The shipment included 1.89 liters of ethyl alcohol, which is highly flammable, and 120 milliliters of Epofix hardener, which is a corrosive material. Delta personnel discovered the shipment and notified the FAA.
   The FAA said the shipment, which was in the passenger’s checked baggage, should have been offered to Delta as cargo containing hazardous materials. The agency did not release the name of the university official.
   “Declaring these items as hazardous materials would have required protective packaging and shipping papers, marks and labels to indicate the hazardous nature of the contents,” the agency said in a statement. The FAA also said the university failed to ensure its employees were properly trained in federal hazmat regulations and did not include emergency response information with the shipment.
   The University of Wisconsin-Madison has 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency, the FAA said.