“What’s in Your Package?”
Hazardous, illegal or dangerous items dropped off for shipping at retail pack and ship locations by consumers and businesses, inadvertently, may have been the source of serious safety issues as they pass through the trucks, distribution hubs and aircraft of the major carriers.

While the overwhelming majority of our customers do not intentionally ship dangerous items, there have been recent incidents where ‘hazardous, illegal, prohibited, dangerous and restricted’ (HIPDR) goods have threatened the logistic systems of the carriers, including their aircraft and trucks.

One solution to this problem is a nationwide program designed to heighten awareness of the dangers of shipping hazardous and illegal items among consumers and businesses, which we have implemented at That Place That Ships….

The Ship Responsibly program was designed by Associated Mail & Parcel Centers (AMPC), which represents more than 3,000 retail mail and parcel shipping locations nationally, all of them independent small businesses.

Research has shown that of 29 million pre-packed parcels presented for shipping at AMPC store member locations, one in 200 contained HAZMAT or prohibited/restricted/illegal contents in a recent 12-month period.

The Ship Responsibly program was created in response to an absence of clear guidelines from the national carriers on shipping 'Hazardous, Illegal, Prohibited, Dangerous and Restricted' (HIPDR) goods. The Ship Responsibly program communicates the theme "What's In Your Package? You Might Be Surprised" with signage and other consumer material, conveying the message of awareness.

Recent incidents involving packages shipped by individuals or businesses without disclosing their contents that were "close calls," and tragic accidents were attributed to hazardous materials being improperly shipped. In July of 1997 a FedEx cargo plane crashed and caught fire at Newark (NJ) International Airport. The FAA finding: ignition of unknown hazardous material. The May 1996 ValuJet crash in the Florida Everglades was attributed to a fire caused by improperly packaged oxygen canisters in the forward cargo hold.

More recently, a tractor battery that was not identified by the individual sending it leaked acid in a carrier’s logistic system, including the aircraft on which it was transported. In another instance, in San Diego, a carrier’s driver and others in the vicinity narrowly escaped serious injury when a computer backup power supply exploded as the package in which it was shipped was unloaded from the delivery truck.

Do you know “What’s in Your Package?”
Please Ship Responsibly!

<Click here> for a list of common HIPDR goods.