Alleges Company Attempted To Ship Flammable Materials Aboard A FedEx Airplane

The FAA is proposing a $77,000 civil penalty against Unilever BestFoods Inc., for allegedly violating Hazardous Materials Regulations.

The FAA alleges that Unilever BestFoods offered a fiberboard box containing one pump bottle of flammable liquid styling spray and three aerosol cans of flammable gas hair spray for shipment by FedEx to Bolingbrook, IL, on November 8, 2012. Employees at FedEx’s sorting facility at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport discovered the pump bottle had leaked inside the package.

According to Department of Transportation regulations, the pump bottle of styling spray is considered to be ethanol, which is a highly flammable substance, and the spray cans are considered to be aerosol. Both products are hazardous material.

The FAA alleges the package was not declared to contain hazardous materials and the materials offered were not properly classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled and in proper condition for shipment under the hazardous materials regulations. Further, the FAA alleges that Unilever BestFoods, which is a regular shipper of hazardous materials, did not provide emergency response information with the package and did not ensure hazmat training for each of its employees.

Unilever BestFoods has scheduled an informal meeting with the FAA later this month.

FMI: www.faa.gov