FAA proposes multiple fines for violations of hazardous materials regulations

The FAA has proposed multiple fines against three companies for allegedly violating hazardous materials regulations. The companies are Devinaire Industries, World Event Promotions (WEP) and Verizon Communications. The administration claims on Jan. 2025, Devinaire accepted two shipments of radiopharmaceutical materials - drugs that contain radioactive substances - for transportation on two flights. The company allegedly did not ensure that its employees were properly trained in transporting hazardous materials. The shipping papers did not include a description of the physical and chemical form of the radioactive material and were not provided to the pilots to file in the required timeframe. The administration proposed a $97,750 civil penalty against Devinaire. WEP allegedly offered three shipments of battery packs to UPS to be transported by air. The packs had lithium-ion batteries, which are classified as hazardous materials and are known to catch fire when overheating. Employees at the UPS sorting facility in Ontario, California, discovered the shipment was smoking and was hot enough to burn a hole in the package. The FAA claims the packs were not accompanied by the required shipping paperwork or emergency response information. They were not properly classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled or in the proper condition for shipment. The FAA also states the packs were charged 30% more than their rated capacity. WEP has a proposed fine of $260,000. RELATED STORIES: FAA proposes $3.1M in fines against Boeing for safety violations FAA proposes fines against 3 companies after multiple lithium-ion battery fires Fire in the sky: How flight attendants handle inflight fires The FAA claims that in May 2024, Verizon sent three shipments of between 2,000 and 3,000 cell phones with lithium-ion batteries through FedEx to be transported by aircraft. Similar to WEP, Verizon did not provide the required emergency response information and the materials were not properly classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled or in the proper condition. The FAA proposed a $70,500 civil penalty against the company. All three companies have 30 days after receiving the FAA's enforcement letter to send out a response.