USPS Amends Hazardous Material Mailing Standards

As package shipping volume continues to rise, USPS is setting new requirements for the mailing of hazardous materials. 

Packages weighing 20 pounds or less must now have packaging that withstands 200 pounds of force, according to a Jan. 27 Federal Register notice, while packages weighing over 20 pounds are required to resist 275 pounds of force. 

There will no longer be quantity restrictions for “nonregulated liquid and solid toxic materials.” Shipments containing lithium batteries aren’t required to contain a telephone number on the marking anymore. 

The new standards took effect the same day the notice was published. 

Hazardous material incidents rose from 2020 to 2022, according to the notice, prompting USPS to consider a change, which led to a 20 percent reduction in 2023. The agency expects the new rules to “provide a continued reduction in incidents and enhance the safety of our employees, our networks and our transportation partners.”