Amazon just racked up two more fines — amounting to a total of $US130,000 ($173,364) — from the FAA for improperly shipping dangerous chemicals. Turns out putting acid and flammable gas into a box and putting it on an aeroplane is not OK.
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The fines Amazon picked up this week stem from two events in 2014. In one instance, Amazon failed to properly mark a package of “Simple Air EZ Green HVAC Cleaner”, a flammable gas. In another instance, Amazon failed to mark a package of “Rid O’ Rust Stain Preventer Acid” which leaked through the box.
This news arrives just 10 days after the FAA fined Amazon $US350,000 ($466,750) for shipping “Amazing! LIQUID FIRE.” According to the agency, “nine UPS employees who came into contact with the box reported feeling a burning sensation and were treated with a chemical wash.” The Liquid Fire, a corrosive drain cleaner, had leaked through the box much like the Rid O’ Rust acid.
It call comes down to regulations that Amazon didn’t follow. There are certain requirements a company like Amazon is required to follow when shipping dangerous chemicals, like special packaging, documentation and warnings on the box. Now, Amazon has collected almost half a million dollars in fines for their shipping screw ups, or about 0.0000014 per cent of its $US336 billion ($448 billion) market capitalisation. So the fines aren’t exactly going to break the Bezos bank.