The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reportedly proposed a $350,000 fine on Amazon for allegedly shipping hazardous chemicals that injured several UPS workers who handled the package. The penalty is the largest fine the FAA has proposed imposing on Amazon, which the agency said has had a series of at least 24 hazardous materials violations in recent years.
The FAA alleged that on October 15, 2014, Amazon sent a UPS package with a one-gallon container of “Amazing! LIQUID FIRE,” a corrosive drain cleaner for transportation by air from Louisville, Kentucky, to Boulder, Colorado. The package leaked and nine UPS employees who came into contact with the box reported feeling a burning sensation and were treated with a chemical wash, Reuters report quoted FAA as saying.
According to FAA said the shipment was improperly packaged, not accompanied by a declaration for dangerous goods and not properly labeled to indicate the hazardous contents.
The FAA alleged Amazon failed to provide emergency response information with the package, and Amazon employees who handled the package had not received required hazardous materials training.
The FAA said that from February 2013 to September 2015, the government found Amazon had violated the hazardous materials regulations 24 other times seeking a total of nearly $1.3 million in fines. In at least 15 instances, hazardous material leaked, the FAA said in its notice of violation reviewed by Reuters.
Amazon declined to answer questions about the incident or prior fines, but said in a written statement that “we ship tens of millions of products every day and have developed sophisticated technologies to detect potential shipping hazards and use any defects as an opportunity for continuous improvement.
In April 2014, Amazon paid a $91,000 fine to the FAA after its employees improperly shipped a package in 2013 containing flammable liquid adhesive by air on Federal Express from Whitestown, Indiana, to Boulder, Colorado.