An errata and corrigenda has been published by the IMO for the 2008 Edition of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. This errata makes a number of changes to the Code:

• reference changes
• minor word changes, i.e. "this data" changes to "these data"
• deletion of single words
• punctuation corrections
• the marine pollutant mark has changed (the fins on the fish are gone)
• several paragraph rewrites
• seven column 16 corrections

A copy of this errata and corrigenda can be downloaded from the IMO website at. Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year.

It’s that time of year again and WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH PEOPLE OUT THERE??????

From the news yesterday morning: Toronto Police have stopped almost 7,000 more vehicles than at this time last year. They submitted over 1,200 drivers to the roadside breath test and have charged 84 this year versus 65 last year with impaired driving. That is a 129% increase. Toronto Police also stated that they are receiving more calls from concerned motorists reporting perceived drunk drivers.

In the regions of Durham, York and Peel, the numbers are up as well. Comparative numbers against last year were not available.

Don’t people realize that from a legal viewpoint, you could be fined up to $50,000 and/or lose your licence for 12 months on a first offence?

Let’s look at it from another point of view—is your child’s life worth it when you drink and drive? If you are going to drink, then arrange for a taxi or other means of transport, so that you arrive alive. In Brampton, make arrangements with St. John Ambulance for a ride home and they will drive your car home as well. Check around in your community to see if there is a charitable agency doing the same. Keep in mind that the transit system of some municipalities will be offering free rides on New Year’s Eve.

But above all, if you are going to drink, don’t drive! Remember, that in Ontario, a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of between 0.05 to 0.08 will face an immediate suspension of 3 to 30 days!

Since lithium battery shipping is a hot topic these days, I ask this question a lot in my training classes. More often than not, the answer is a resounding "no". That’s when I respond with "Are you sure?" Upon further discussion, many people realize that they do, in fact, ship lithium batteries.

So how could they not know? When I get a response of "no" to the question, I start asking more questions. Do you ever ship pieces of equipment or machinery that is powered by lithium batteries? Do you ever ship cell phones or laptop computers to other offices or field locations? After a little bit of thought, the realization often occurs… Hey, we DO ship lithium batteries!

Many shippers overlook these types of shipments when asked about shipping lithium batteries. They tend to think only of individual batteries or products that they ship, instead of equipment or tools of the trade. In order to avoid causing and accident or receiving costly fines, make sure you know what you are shipping before you ship it so that you can comply with the appropriate regulations.

Shipping lithium batteries has become a confusing issue. Let’s start by asking "what is a lithium battery?". There are two types of lithium batteries – metal and ion (polymer). The lithium metal battery is also termed "primary" which means non-rechargeable. Typically you find these batteries in watches, calculators, cameras, etc. Lithium ion (and polymer) are "secondary" or rechargeable batteries. These are found in mobile phones, laptop computers, satellite navigation units, etc.

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The CACD (Canadian Association of Chemical Distributors) office in Oakville received a telephone call from a dangerous goods inspector regarding cargo tanks. Two of the member companies had been inspected and the inspector indicated that for loading and unloading cargo tanks, the weakest link is the transfer hose.

Under the TDG Regulations in Part 5 Means of Containment, specifically 5.14 Large Means of Containment (MoC), to transport dangerous goods by ground, the large MoC must be manufactured, selected and used in accordance with the CSA standard B621 Selection and Use of Highway Tanks, Portable Tanks, Cargo Compartments, and Containers for the Transportation of Dangerous Goods, Classes 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, and 9.

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