{"operation":"document","citation":"13-0094","title":"UPS — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2013-06-24","effective_on":null,"summary":"13-0094 response to UPS concerning 173.24a, 173.27.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-13-0094.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-13-0094.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-13-0094","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2013/130094.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nu.s. Department\nof Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministration\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nJUN 2 4 2013\nMr. Samuel Elkind\nCorporate Regulated Goods Manager\nUnited Parcel Service\n55 Glenlake Parkway, NE\nAtlanta, GA 30328-34 74\nRef. No.: 13-0094\nDear Mr. Elkind:\nThis responds to your May 1, 2013 letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous Materials\nRegulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to limited quantity packages of\nmixed contents. For transportation by aircraft, you ask whether a shipper should use Table 3\nin§ 173.27(£)(3), or the provisions in§ 173.24a(c)(l)(iv) when determining the maximum\nnet quantity of each inner and outer packaging for limited quantity packages of mixed\ncontents.\nAs provided in § 173.27(£)(2), when a limited quantity of a hazardous material is packaged\nin a combination packaging and is intended for transportation aboard an aircraft, the inner\nand outer packagings must conform to the quantity limitations set forth in Table 3. Table 3\nprovides the maximum net quantity of each inner and outer packaging for materials\nauthorized for transportation as a limited quantity by aircraft. For mixed contents of limited\nquantities by air, the shipper must comply with the maximum authorized net quantity of\neach outer package (column 4 of 5 in Table 3) and ensure that the total net quantity does not\nexceed the lowest permitted maximum net quantity per package as shown by hazard class or\ndivision for the hazardous materials in the mixed contents package.\nHowever, we do recognize that the intent of Table 3 in§ 173.27(£)(3) as compared to\n§ 173 .24a( c )(1 )(iv) may be ambiguous in regard to limited quantity packages of mixed\ncontents, and may consider revising the text in a future rulemaking.\nI hope this satisfies your inquiry. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.\nT. Glenn Foster\nChief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\n55 Glenlake Parkway, NE\nAtlanta, GA 30328-3474\nMay 1, 2013\nMr. Charles Betts\nDirector, Hazardous Materials Standards Division\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\nU.S. Department of Transportation\n1200 New Jersey A venue, SE\nAttn: PHH-1 0 -East Building\nWashington, DC 20590\nRe: Use of Table 3 of 49 CPR 173.27(±)(3) for Limited Quantity Packages with Mixed\nContents\nOn behalf of UPS, Inc., I write to request regulatory guidance specific to the determination of the\nmaximum allowed hazardous materials quantities for air packages containing mixed contents,\nwhich are also prepared under the Limited Quantity provisions (i.e. multiple materials prepared\nunder Limited Quantities provisions, all packed in one outer package that is to be offered for air\ntransport).\nThe involvement of packages prepared under Limited Quantity provisions is important. The\navailable guidance on mixed contents air shipments appears in § 173 .24a( c)( 1 )(iv ). However, this\nrequirement points the shipper to Columns 9a and 9b of the § 172.101 Table for maximum\npackage quantities; the total quantity of hazardous materials contained within a package must not\nexceed the most restrictive of the quantities shown in Column 9a or 9b for the materials contained\nwithin the package.\nThis instruction, however, does not seem to be relevant to the circumstances of a Limited\nQuantity air shipment. The maximum package quantities in Columns 9a and 9b are specifically\nnot applicable for packages prepared under Limited Quantity provisions; rather, the separate inner\nand outer package limits associated with packages offered under Limited Quantity provisions are\nspelled out in Table 3 of 49 CPR 173.27(£)(3). Additionally,§ 173.27(f)(2)(iii) indicates that \"a\ncompleted [Limited Quantity] package may not exceed 30 kg gross weight.\"\nThis background leads UPS to believe there may be a gap in the HMR concerning a mixed\ncontents air shipment prepared under the Limited Quantity provisions. Table 3 of§ 173.27(£)(3)\nis normally relevant to both the inner and outer packaging restrictions applicable to Limited\nQuantity air shipments. UPS believes that it may also be applicable for shipments of mixed\ncontents. However, the Table 3 column, \"Maximum authorized net quantity for each outer\npackage\" exclusively provides the maximum outer package quantity for the specific hazard class\nor division and packing group combination from that row of Table 3. There is no discussion of\ncircumstances in which the outer package contains more than one type of hazardous material.\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nThe lack of guidance in this connection has practical consequences, the outcome of which may\nnot be entirely in accord with PHMSA's intended policy. For example, ifPHMSA's guidance is\nto restrict even a Limited Quantity mixed contents air shipment to the most restrictive of the\nquantities shown in Column 9a of §172.101, seemingly excessive package sizes may be the\nresult. Conversely, the allowance of the individual § 173 .27(f)(3) Table 3 inner and outer package\nquantities appears to be a reasonable solution, providing a reasonably restricted quantity, while\nremaining within the constant gross weight limitation applicable to Limited Quantity packages of\n30 kg. The values entered in the following table, showing hypothetical mixed contents air\nshipments, highlight some of the extremes of the problem at the heart of our inquiry.\nHypothetical Packages of Mixed Contents, Packed under LTD QTY Provisions\n(Column 1) (Column 2) (Column 3) (Column 4) (Column 5) (Column 6)\n172.101 Total per\nColumn 9a 173.27(c)(3) 172.101 Total per Total per\nNet Table 3 Net Column 9a 173.27(c)(3) 173.27(c)(3) if\nUN Number, Quantity Quantity \"most Table 3 \"most individually\nPacking Group Limit Limit restrictive\" restrictive\" measured\nUN1263 PGIII 60L 10 L 60L 2L 12L\nUN3287, PGIII 60L 2L\nUN1263, PGII 5L lL 5L lL 2L\nUN1090, PGII 5L lL\nUN3178, PGIII 25kg lOkg 25kg 5kg 15kg\nUN2585, PGIII 25kg 5 kg\nAs shown above, the mixed contents guidance currently available in the HMR leaves important\nquestions unanswered where Limited Quantity air shipments are concerned. Reliance on the\ncurrent § 173 .24a( c )(1 )(iv) yields unexpectedly large outer package limits that seem unlikely to be\nPHMSA's intended result, as shown in Column 4 in the table above. But UPS stresses that if\nPHMSA's intention is to guide users to Table 3 of§ 173 .27( c )(3), the text therein currently\nappears to be inadequate. A user cannot easily conclude whether a hybrid of the current\n§§ 173.24a(c)(l)(iv) and 173.27(c)(3) may apply, whereby the most restrictive outer package limit\nfrom Table 3 is intended (but not stated) to apply, as shown in Column 5 of the above table; or\nwhether PHMSA intends to allow the assembly of compliant inner packages up to the maximum\nouter package limit of Table 3 for each present Class!Division and Packing Group, so long as the\nconstant 30 kg gr()SS package limit is also satisfied, as shown in Column 6 of the above table.\nAccordingly, UPS looks forward to PHMSA's guidance in this matter. Your response will ensure\nthe accuracy of both our communication to customers and our internal guidance for UPS\nprocesses.\nSincerely,\nUJqLIJ Samuel S. Elkind\nCorporate Regulated Goods Manager","truncated":false,"body_characters":7266}