Partners and Programs:
  • BARS
  • GSIP
  • SKYbrary
  • ASN
  • Contact Us
  • Members' Center
  • Login
  • Support Aviation Safety

  • Industry Updates
  • The Foundation
    • About the Foundation
    • Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety
    • Founders
    • Mission
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Officers and Staff
    • Media/Communications
    • Aviation Award & Scholarship Programs
    • Work with Us
    • Join Us
  • Events
  • AeroSafety World
  • Toolkits & Resources
    • COVID-19 Crisis Resources
    • Fatigue Management
    • Flight Path Monitoring
    • Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE)
    • Go-Around Project
    • Global Safety Assessment Project
    • Learning From All Operations
    • Past Safety Initiatives
    • Pilot Training and Competency
    • Special Reports
  • Industry Updates
  • The Foundation
    • About the Foundation
    • Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety
    • Founders
    • Mission
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Officers and Staff
    • Media/Communications
    • Aviation Award & Scholarship Programs
    • Work with Us
    • Join Us
  • Events
  • AeroSafety World
  • Toolkits & Resources
    • COVID-19 Crisis Resources
    • Fatigue Management
    • Flight Path Monitoring
    • Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE)
    • Go-Around Project
    • Global Safety Assessment Project
    • Learning From All Operations
    • Past Safety Initiatives
    • Pilot Training and Competency
    • Special Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Members' Center
  • Login
  • Support Aviation Safety
Partners and Programs:
  • BARS
  • GSIP
  • SKYbrary
  • ASN

FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS

701 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 250,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Phone: +1 703 739 6700 Fax: +1 703 739 6708

  • Aviation Safety Experts
  • Industry Updates
  • Finding Hazards You Cannot See But Know are There

Blog, Lithium Batteries, Cargo Safety

Finding Hazards You Cannot See But Know are There

by Mark Millam | October 1, 2016

Handling passengers and their luggage at today’s volumes can be challenging enough.  But the cargo side of the business is getting more and more complicated because of our technology and hazards that are tough to spot. In September, Amazon was fined for trying to ship lithium-ion batteries and aerosols by air. In ruling in the U.K. case, Judge Michael Grieve said, “In my view, the jury’s verdict reflects a finding of systemic failure, albeit as a result of human error.”

Shipments of lithium-ion batteries have been banned nearly all over the world because of a recently adopted International Civil Aviation Organization standard. As we have suspected at Flight Safety Foundation, this is going to be a tough standard to enforce. Most regulators have made it unlawful for airlines to accept these items, but what if the shipper doesn’t provide you with the information you need so that you can comply with the rule? Well, much like drug and alcohol standards for pilots, there has to be some level of periodic and random screening of the cargo. In the Amazon case, that is exactly what discovered the violations.

But what kind of screening is going to be enough?  Regarding drug and alcohol standards, I am pretty sure the pilots know the rules. The random screening hopefully will find those individuals who are unable to live by the rules. In the cargo world, we have many people and organizations that may not know the rules and are just trying to get their materials to a destination. Identifying these hazards isn’t just an effort in trying to find the statistical outliers. Reducing risks here has to be a multi-pronged effort to inform shippers about what is prohibited and to try to find anyone who may have knowingly or unknowingly presented something for shipment that contained prohibited items.

So in this court case, it seems that the ruling is aimed at making an example of bigger shippers that should know the potential shortcomings of their suppliers and have the resources and capability to comply with the regulations. It was good to hear that UPS was part of the screening act that discovered these issues. I am sure that Amazon is no small client of UPS. It would be interesting to hear about the UPS strategy and approach to screening that company officials consider necessary to combat this problem. I am sure it’s far different than typical approaches in a standard safety management system.

Mark Millam is the Foundation’s vice president, technical.

Share:

Print:

Key Safety Issues

  • Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)
  • Loss of Control–In Flight (LOC-I)
  • Mechanical Issues
  • Runway Safety (approach and landing)
  • Sabotage/Intentional Acts
  • Midair Collisions (MAC)
  • Runway Safety (Conflicts)
  • Wildlife Issues
  • Fatigue
  • Cabin Safety
  • Emerging Safety Issues
    • Lithium Batteries
    • Safety Information Sharing and Protection
    • Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Related Content

Lithium Batteries, Safety Oversight

UPS Faces Proposed Penalty for Allegedly Improper Battery Shipment

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is accusing UPS of violating hazardous materials regulations by shipping improperly packaged lithium batteries and is proposing that the company pay a $120,000 civil…

by AeroSafety World Editorial Staff

News, Safety Regulation

FAA Proposes Changes in Fire Protection Standards for Aircraft Interiors

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants to change airworthiness regulations that govern fire protection inside transport category airplanes to convert existing prescriptive requirements into what it says will be…

by FSF Editorial Staff

On Record

E-Cigarette Battery Ignites in Cargo Hold

Report cites limitations of current baggage- and cargo-screening procedures in identifying dangerous goods.

by Mark Lacagnina

Read more articles

701 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 250, Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Phone: +1 703 739 6700 Fax: +1 703 739 6708

Flight Safety Foundation on Twitter

📣 #BASS2023 early bird registration ends APRIL 15! Save even more with Buy 3/Get 1 Free! 📆May 9-10, 2023… https://t.co/XVt5lxJRbo

March 30, 2023

Follow @flightsafety

Projects & Partners

  • Basic Aviation Risk Standard
  • Global Safety Information Project
  • SKYbrary
  • Aviation Safety Network
  • Donate
  • Advertise on our website
  • Sponsor & Exhibit at our Events
  • Work with Us
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Privacy

© 2023 Flight Safety Foundation

Join our group on LinkedIn