How to Handle Hazmat Packages

Ever received a package in the mail that didn’t arrive the way it was supposed to? Maybe there were some dents or a few tears, or even worse, the package itself sustained damage. This is all well and good for standard packages, but things get a bit dicier when the package contains hazardous materials.

A skull and crossbones may come to mind when you hear the term ‘hazardous materials,’ but in reality, many of the products and items we use daily would fall under this category: paint, cleaning supplies, bleach, etc. They vary widely in danger and chemical composition, which is why their shipping labels must stand out from other shipping labels. Otherwise, a lost package may break open and contaminate other packages--and this is just one of the potential disasters.

Chances are you’ve never shipped or received hazardous materials in the mail, but hey, you never know where life might take you. Today, we’re going to break down the process of shipping hazardous materials: how to contain the materials themselves, how to label the packages, and how to remain compliant with federal transportation regulations.

For starters, there are unique labels for shipping hazardous materials. These labels are brightly colored and diamond-shaped, which makes it easy to distinguish hazardous packages from non-hazardous packages. These labels comply with the United Nations’ dangerous goods identification system, but differences in design and color may differ slightly from country to country. This uniform labeling system also makes a broken package spill easy to clean up, ensuring greater personal and public safety.

However, it’s not just enough to have the labels on there. You must include the name of the shipper, ID number, the scientific name of the product, special permits for packaging, environmental handling, consignment information, and marine pollutants. Whew! That’s quite a mouthful. All of this information will make it much easier to handle your hazardous material package with the care it requires. Furthermore, they’re necessary to remain compliant with federal transportation regulations, which have changed recently.

The Department of Transportation has recently implemented some changes to its policies concerning the shipment of hazardous materials. The DOT requires that all packages containing hazardous materials must have a label on them (just not on the bottom) and must be near the shipper’s name on the package’s surface. Some speculate that this is to cut down on time spent identifying and assessing the package, but ultimately it is to promote public safety.

Not all hazardous materials are created equal, though. FedEx, for example, lists accepted hazardous materials and prohibited hazardous materials for shipment. Approved hazardous materials include flammable liquids and solids, non-flammable gases, oxidizers, organic peroxide, radioactive material, and corrosive material. Prohibited hazardous materials include most explosives, materials that are dangerous when wet, spontaneously combustible materials, infectious substances, and poisonous gases, and other toxic materials. FedEx also lists the appropriate labels for these materials on their website for anyone curious about how to ship hazardous materials correctly.

Fun fact: Alaska and Hawaii prohibit the shipment of aerosols, nail polish, and paints. These are three great examples of everyday items that are classified as hazardous materials.

Depending on the hazardous item you want to ship, you might have to take a few extra steps. For example, some explosives require additional information, such as EX numbers (explosive identification numbers issued by the DOT), national stock numbers, or product codes on your packaging or shipping labels. Many of these extra steps require affixing labels to the package explicitly stating that the item being shipped complies with federal transportation regulations. Many times, the label will look something like this: “This package conforms to 49 CFR 173.13”.

There are a few labeling exemptions for hazardous materials. According to FedEx’s website, “packages shipped as a Limited Quantity may be exempt from the labeling requirements, those shipped under a DOT special permit may also be exempt from labeling requirements, and those prepared under 49 CFR 173.13 do not require a diamond-shaped hazard label.”

There are plenty of websites that can provide you with the correct hazmat labels for shipping hazardous materials. HazmatPac, for example, can even do custom labels for unusual or uncommon hazardous materials. 

So with all of this talk about hazardous materials, what are some of their defining traits?

HazmatPac’s definition is “[a] dangerous good is any solid, liquid or gas that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment.” Various federal committees oversee the shipping and handling of hazardous materials. The DOT has classified nine types of dangerous materials. They are divided according to their key features and chemical compositions. For international shipping, HazmatPac recommends checking the transportation regulations of the country to which you’re shipping your package. Non-English-speaking countries may require extra attention, such as using the local language for an address.

Should your package suffer any accidents or spills mid-transit, dangerous goods call centers like Chemtrec are ready to assist you in handling the crisis. Their staff members must undergo extensive hazardous materials training and certification before helping any customers. This training boosts their combined decades’ worth of experience as EMTs, first responders, firefighters, hazardous material specialists, and military explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians.

With over six million Safety Data Sheets in their library, Chemtrec has built an expert network of toxicologists, doctors, chemists, and hazardous materials pros that collaborate with them to provide the most up-to-date information to customers. They also cater to a global clientele with interpreters for over 240 languages.

Chemtrec also specializes in handling hazardous materials accidents or spills. Shippers and handlers can use their handler information network, incident report service, and crisis response and communication. However, they also offer non-emergency services.

The world of hazardous chemicals is much more sophisticated than it appears. The shipping industry may be much more chaotic without such careful attention to some of these dangerous materials. Thankfully, many businesses in the industry take their work seriously, cooperate with federal standards, and overall strive to help people streamline their hazardous materials shipping experience.

How Do Solo-Entrepreneurs Protect Their Business?

Running a business is challenging in its own right. However, for solo entrepreneurs, the challenges can be enhanced by their solitary position. When you are an independent professional trying to keep your business afloat by yourself, you need to be the strategist, the administrator, and the employee, all at the same time. While there is a fair amount of tasks and essential jobs that can be outsourced, you still need to oversee every business process. As such, business protection can be overlooked for the benefit of more pressing projects. 

However, protecting your business from cyber threats is especially important in times just as now, where the global pandemic has forced many companies to interact remotely with their customers. When your interactions and work happen online, you can’t afford to ignore the risks of mishaps for your brand. Here are some tips for solo-entrepreneurs to manage risks and sail their companies safely through the troubled waters of the pandemic situation. 

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Protect your confidential data 

The online world can be a dangerous area. Hackers are a significant threat to small businesses. Therefore, if you are new to a remote business concept, you need to make sure you’ve got everything to keep your data secure. The first and most obvious line of security is to give your work device the best support against cyberthreats, such as using an antivirus solution and using secure cloud storage for your data. You can consider reaching out to experts and outsource your cybersecurity. A managed service provider can monitor your business online and offer increased protection. Additionally, solo-entrepreneurs also need to add identity protection for all transactions performed online. As you need to purchase additional solutions to move your activities online, ensuring nobody can steal your financial data is a no-brainer. 

Protect your ideas

With millions of businesses offering similar services or products, you need to differentiate your brand from the crowd. An original idea can open the door to a new market and help you reach out to a broad audience. But innovative and creative ideas are tricky to find. That’s because ideas are so valuable that other businesses can sometimes steal them. You need to protect your intellectual property through trademarks, patents, and copyrights, depending on the type of content. Copyright applies to written documents, while a trademark can be used for your brand name, catchphrase, or product name. 

Protect your reputation

As a solo-entrepreneur, you can’t hide behind a brand. You are the personality of your business. Therefore, managing your professional reputation in the market can help your brand growth. The first place to start is Google. When you Google yourself, you can find out what others think of your business or of yourself, and many spot weaknesses that can be rectified.

Another excellent place to observe and manage is social media. Claiming your business accounts online will stop others from impersonating you, and it provides you with a platform to communicate with your audience. Not every solo-entrepreneur needs a reputation manager. However, if things are getting too tough, you can reach out to experts for help. 

Protecting your business online in the age of COVID-19 is challenging. But it is indispensable to keeping your business alive and supporting your customers as effectively as possible. Stay safe, stay online, stay virtually protected.

5 Important Ways To Keep Your Business Safe

It doesn’t matter the nature or industry of your business, but keeping it safe all round is of paramount importance. The truth is that there are threats presenting themselves from all angles daily, and if you’re not ready for them, then you can end up losing a lot of time and money trying to get things back on track. In fact, a lack of safety and security could bring your business into a hardship that you really struggle to get out of. So, how do you make sure that your company is in safe hands all of the time, allowing you and your team to feel as secure as possible?

Here are five ideas worth considering to keep your business safe and secure.

#1: Listen to the experts

If you want to keep your business safe, then one of the most important things that you need to do is listen to IT and cyber security experts. Things like cybersecurity, information technology, and virus protection are of vital importance, but you may not understand the ins and outs of it as your IT team or specialist does. Consider their advice, and don’t dismiss the opinions of the experts in this field. If you do, you could live to regret it in the long-run when a security risk presents itself to your business.

If you are outsourcing this part of your business, we recommend choosing some of the best in the business to trust our business to. For example, companies like Securitas Technology have a strong reputation in the business IT market as a reliable option. You need experts who know what they are talking about, and can be counted on to provide the best protection for your business. Choose someone that you are willing to listen to, or your business could suffer for it.

#2: Embrace new tech tools and software

New technology is always being developed for those who want to keep their businesses safe and secure from hackers, fraud, malware, and cyber threats. From ID management services that allow you to see exactly who is coming in and out of your office to new pieces of software that can protect your customer data, the world of tech expands as the capabilities of those carrying out security attacks advances. Stay on top of it, and look into the ways that you can utilize tech.

Secure internal communication is also vital for businesses because it safeguards sensitive information, promotes trust, and ensures compliance with regulations. When communication channels are secure, companies can prevent data breaches, leaks, or unauthorized access that could harm their reputation or lead to financial loss.

#3: Get clued in on health and safety

One of the biggest financial threats to a business is ignoring the health and safety regulations that you should be following and enforcing. If one of your employees gets hurt in the workplace and you’re the one who is at fault for not assessing the risks that are present, then, well, you’re probably going to get sued. This is the last thing that an entrepreneur needs to handle. This can leave you in the red financially, but it also makes your office an unsafe place for you and your team.

#4: Protect your data

If your employees are heading off to a new company and they work in fields like social media management, public relations, or marketing, then your data is an absolute gold mine for them. It means that they can tailor ads and posts to people and that they have all of the personal information needed to really pull in customers to their new business. On top of this, it is, of course, illegal in most places. Protect your data and your future as a company. Make sure you have the right protocols in place.

#5: Make sure that everybody is on board

Security and safety are not one-man issues, and if you’re going to be successful as a business owner, then you need to have everybody on board. Outline your policies and courses of action, and be sure that all of your employees know them inside out. You can even ask them to sign an employee handbook or manual. This will mean that nobody is making silly mistakes that could threaten the safety of your business and that everybody is on the same page. Have a meeting, review all safety protocols with employees when they are hired, and make things clear so there are no questions.

Good luck!