Several weeks ago the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) decided that, based on a 2010 change in some obscure shipping safety test procedures, it should terminate a special shipping exemption that it has granted since 1978 to companies and vendors who ship model rocket motors and igniters. This special exemption, DOT-SP 7887, lets these products which are technically classified as "Explosive 1.4S" get shipped in containers labelled with a black and white "Flammable Solid" hazardous material label rather than a bright orange "Explosives" label.
This DOT action will not increase your cost or change your access to the products; the same HAZMAT shipping fee applies in either case and consumers can buy them the same way regardless of how they are labelled in shipping. The issue is one of public perception: we all know that model rocket motors are not going to "blow up" and are not really "explosives" in the way that the public interprets that term. Having them start to show up in schools, hobby stores, and private residences with an alarming orange "Explosives" label on them will simply feed public fears and misperceptions about our safe hobby and these safe products. It will not improve public safety, because shipping them has never posed a risk to that safety.
The largest model rocket motor manufacturers, Estes, Quest, and Aerotech, have filed petitions to get this exemption continued rather than canceled. This will be tough to achieve. To help their case they have asked their vendors to send e-mails of support for continuing the exemption to the Department of Transportation Associate Administrator responsible for making this decision. I think that it is in our hobby's interest for us as NAR members to join the manufacturers in this effort. If you would like to be part of this, please cut and paste the text below the dotted line into an e-mail from you to specialpermits@dot.gov as soon as possible, preferably by the end of this coming weekend.
Be safe, have fun, and pay forward.
Trip Barber
President, National Association of Rocketry
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TO: specialpermits@dot.gov
Subject: DOT-SP 7887 Show Cause Response
Dear Associate Administrator,
The purpose of this e-mail is to request that DOT-SP 7887 exemption to ship model rocket motors and igniters in containers marked as "Flammable Solid" rather than as "Explosive 1.4" be kept in force asit has been since 1978. This Special Permit, previously DOT-E 7887, is important to those ofus who enjoy the hobby of model rocketry.
To my knowledge, there has never been a fire or safety incident involving the shipping of model rocket motors and igniters, whether by public carrier or USPS. Further I believe that shipping these safe and non-explosive consumer products labelled as "Explosives" will create unnecessary fear and difficulty for those handling, transporting, receiving, storing, selling and using them. Model rockets have a superb safety record and wide public acceptance as a safe product based on 54 years of experience. Having them now start to arrive in consumer hands labelled as explosives could put at risk the reputation that our hobby has earned.
After 33 years of use, the termination of the Special Permit is unwarranted and will not contribute to public safety because shipping model rocketsas Flammable Solids has not created any risk to safety.
Please keep the Special Permit in place as written.
- Your Name and Address (city & state)
Take a minute and email your letter.
No comments:
Post a Comment