Effective April 7, 2014, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 601.10.0 to provide language that aligns with the Department of Transportation (DOT) delayed implementation date for package marking regulations applicable to hazardous materials in ground transportation. The Postal Service will also make corresponding revisions to Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail, as soon as possible thereafter. The Publication 52 revisions will be provided in a later edition of the Postal Bulletin.
With this revision, the Postal Service confirms its intent to eliminate the option for mailers to use the Other Regulated Material (ORM-D) marking on parcels intended for surface transportation. However, these new marking standards, for parcels intended for surface transportation, will be deferred (remain optional), until January 1, 2021. This deferment coincides with the DOT’s delayed implementation date for the required use of the DOT square-on-point marking for packages transported by ground transportation.
On January 19, 2011, the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published Federal Register final rule HM-215K (76 FR 3308-3389), which synchronized the requirements of the U.S. Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) with international transport requirements. In its final rule, PHMSA signaled its intent to, among other items, eliminate the ORM-D classification for all forms of transportation. This change became effective on January 1, 2013, for shipments intended for air transportation. For shipments intended for surface transportation, the DOT subsequently announced a further delay in the marking requirements until January 1, 2021. In response to requests from the mailing industry, the Postal Service is delaying its implementation of the marking requirements for shipments intended for surface transportation to coincide with the date signaled by PHMSA.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
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601 Mailability
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10.0 Hazardous Materials
10.1 Definitions
The following definitions apply:
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[Revise the third sentence of 10.1c to read as follows:]
c. ***Effective January 1, 2021, the ORM-D category will be eliminated for materials intended for surface transportation.***
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10.3 USPS Standards for Hazardous Material
[Revise the first sentence of 10.3 to read as follows:]
The USPS standards generally restrict the mailing of hazardous materials to ORM-D (category and marking permitted for surface transportation only until December 31, 2020), and consumer commodity or mailable limited quantity materials that meet USPS quantity limitations and packaging requirements.***
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10.7 Warning Labels for Hazardous Materials
[Revise the fourth sentence of 10.7 to read as follows:]
***Effective January 1, 2021, the ORM-D category will be eliminated for materials intended for surface transportation, and mailpieces containing hazardous materials intended for surface transportation will be required to be marked using the appropriate DOT square-on-point marking.***
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10.8 Package Markings for Hazardous Materials
[Revise the third sentence of 10.8 to read as follows:]
***Mailpieces containing mailable hazardous materials intended for surface transportation may be entered and marked under the ORM-D category before January 1, 2021.***
[Revise the first sentence of 10.8a to read as follows:]
a. The use of DOT limited quantity square-on-point markings are currently required for mailpieces intended for air transportation and are optional (until December 31, 2020) for mailpieces intended for surface transportation (see Exhibit 10.8b).***
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10.12 Gases (Hazard Class 2)
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10.12.2 Mailability
[Revise the second sentence of 10.12.2 to read as follows:]
***Flammable gases in Division 2.1 are prohibited in domestic mail via air transportation, but are permitted via surface transportation, if the material can qualify as an ORM-D material (or effective January 1, 2021, as a consumer commodity material) and meet the standards in 10.12.3 and 10.12.4.***
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10.13 Flammable and Combustible Liquids (Hazard Class 3)
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10.13.2 Flammable Liquid Mailability
[Revise the third sentence of 10.13.2 to read as follows:]
***Other flammable liquid is prohibited in domestic mail via air transportation but is permitted via surface transportation if the material can qualify as an ORM-D material (or effective January 1, 2021, as a consumer commodity material) and meet the following conditions as applicable:***
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10.14 Flammable Solids (Hazard Class 4)
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10.14.2 Mailability
[Revise the third sentence of 10.14.2 to read as follows:]
***A flammable solid that can qualify as an ORM-D material (or effective January 1, 2021, as a mailable limited quantity material) is permitted in domestic mail via surface transportation if the material is contained in a secure primary receptacle having a weight of 1 pound or less; the primary receptacle(s) is packed in a strong outer shipping container with a total weight of 25 pounds or less per mailpiece; and each mailpiece is plainly and durably marked on the address side with “Surface Only” or “Surface Mail Only” and “ORM-D”, immediately following or below the proper shipping name (or with a DOT square-on-point marking under 10.8b.).***
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10.5 Oxidizing Substances, Organic Peroxides (Hazard Class 5)
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10.15.2 Mailability
[Revise the second sentence of 10.15.2 to read as follows:]
***5 materials are permitted in domestic mail if the material can qualify as an ORM-D material (until December 31, 2020), when intended for surface transportation; or an air-eligible mailable limited quantity material, when intended for air transportation.***
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10.16 Toxic Substances (Hazard Class 6, Division 6.1)
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10.16.2 Mailability
[Revise the second sentence of 10.16.2 to read as follows:]
***For domestic mail, a Division 6.1 toxic substance or poison that can qualify as an ORM-D material (until December 31, 2020), when intended for surface transportation, or a mailable air-eligible consumer commodity material when intended for air transportation, is permitted when packaged under the applicable requirements in 10.16.4.***
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10.16.4 Packaging and Marking
The following requirements must be met, as applicable:
[Revise the first sentence of 10.16.4a to read as follows:]
a. A toxic substance that can qualify as an ORM-D material (until December 31, 2020), when intended for surface transportation, or a mailable air-eligible consumer commodity material when intended for air transportation, and does not exceed a total capacity of 8 ounces per mailpiece is permitted if: the material is held in a primary receptacle(s); enough cushioning material surrounds the primary receptacle(s) to absorb all potential leakage; and the cushioning and primary receptacle(s) are packed in another securely sealed secondary container that is placed within a strong outer shipping container.***
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10.19 Corrosives (Hazard Class 8)
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10.19.2 Mailability
[Revise the second sentence of 10.19.2 to read as follows:]
***A corrosive that can qualify as an ORM-D material (until December 31, 2020), when intended for surface transportation; or an air-eligible mailable limited quantity material, when intended for air transportation, is permitted in domestic mail via air or surface transportation subject to these limitations:***
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10.20 Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials (Hazard Class 9)
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10.20.2 Mailability
[Revise the second sentence of 10.20.2 to read as follows:]
***A miscellaneous hazardous material that can qualify as an ORM-D material (until December 31, 2020), when intended for surface transportation, or a mailable air-eligible consumer commodity material when intended for air transportation, is permitted for domestic mail via air or surface transportation, subject to the applicable 49 CFR requirements.***
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of the DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Pricing, 3-20-14
