Hazmat Carriers

There are a number of different types of shipping, but one that is being used more and more is JIT Expedited Shipping, or Just in Time Shipping. Different shippers will use this service for variety of reasons, with some using them for:

Sudden Demand

Sometimes you just can’t plan for the sudden demand of your product. When a customer needs your product immediately, using expedited shipping can allow you to get it there quickly, often within 24 hours, so that your customer can then make use of the product.

Sensitive Freight

Sometimes the freight being shipped is sensitive in nature, either because of time constraints on it, because it is perishable, or because of it’s hazardous nature. These types of freight often make use of expedited shipping so that they are not on the road any longer than necessary.

No matter the reason, expedited shipping is an increasingly popular way for shippers to get their products to their customers as quickly as possible.

A number of hazardous materials shipments are in fact done on behalf of government agencies. While the government doesn’t only ship HazMat materials, they do outsource their shipping needs to outside carriers as opposed to maintaining their own fleet.

Carriers that work with government agencies are approved by that agency, such as the DOD, to transport on their behalf, with each agency having their own standard for approval. Whether it’s transporting electronics to a new office or sensitive materials for proper disposal, government shipping contracts are just one more piece of the shipping industry pie.

The public’s perception of hazardous materials has changed a lot through the years. Part of this is because the hazmat threats have changed as new ones have been created and others have been rendered less effective or even eliminated. The world of fiction also has an impact on the perceived hazmat threats as they use new methods to inspire terror, dread, and anxiety in the viewing public.

Then

Then is a general term, but mostly means anything before 1980. At that time, the threats that seemed to drive people into wearing face-masks in real life and hazmat suits on screen were radioactive in nature, with nuclear weapons being a popular hazardous threat. Part of this is due to both the end of World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis being fairly fresh in the minds of enough people to make them credible threats.

Now

The threats we see now haven’t so much changed as grown. While nuclear weapons and radiation are still prevalent both in the real world and in Hollywood, it’s been joined by other threats. Biological and chemical threats are the most recent additions to the list of hazards that are in the forefront of peoples minds, with Anthrax, Swine Flu, and Bird Flu all being real threats that have caused panic.

Environmental concerns are also a new addition to the list that could result in the need for hazmat suits. While smog and air pollution were real issues 20 years ago, natural disasters and the fallout they cause is as real as the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The Future

It’s impossible to predict what the future of hazardous material threats will be, but it’s probably fair to assume that it will be some combination of those that have already come and gone. Only time will tell.

Hazmat suits serve a very real function in keeping people that have to interact with chemical, radioactive, and biological hazards safe. That being said, hazmat suits have a long history in the world of fiction both as a visual cue that something bad is happening and as a way to scare both the people on screen and the audience.

We all remember the men in hazmat suits from the movie E.T. and the sinister feeling we got due to their anonymity, but films like Outbreak have used the hazmat suit, or rather it failing, to show how deadly a biological agent is by having the person in the suit die quickly despite their use of the suit to prevent just such an occurence.

Video games also have a history with hazmat suits, using them both as a way to protect the player and as a way to make antagonists scarier. Games like Doom, Half-Life, and Deux Ex all incorporate the hazmat suit in a variety of ways, both as a way to safe the player, and as a way to increase the creepiness of enemies.

For good or ill, hazmat suits in fiction are likely around to stay as they serve a variety of functions both visually and practically.

If you’ve ever been around an industrial park you’ve probably seen a lot of these symbols, but even in our every day lives there are a surprising number of HAZMAT symbols that appear, warning us that some items can be dangerous for various reasons. Here are a few that you may or may not know.

Biohazard

Chemical Weapon, in reference to a WMD

Just because a driver has been behind the wheel of their truck for years doesn’t mean they can haul just anything. HazMat materials require special training that is mandated by the federal government to ensure that anybody hauling these materials doesn’t post a safety risk.

Hazmat shipping training includes security awareness and in-depth training, safety training, and familiarization with the materials. This training has to be repeated once every three years to stay up to date on the certification.

Everybody has seen the signs labeling something has “Hazmat”, but when it comes to shipping, what exactly is qualified as hazardous materials? Is it only radioactive or biological items, or do other things fall under the heading of “hazardous materials”?

While it’s true that biological and radioactive items qualify as hazardous, other things such as weapons, ammunition, and explosives also qualify given their dangerous nature. Transporting these items requires special training and certifications to ensure that the cargo is treated carefully and with the respect that it deserves.

Also included in the hazmat field are flammable liquids, gases, corrosives, and anything that is considered combustible or flammable. Not all of these things are “bad”, as items like oxygen are qualified as hazardous given that it is flammable, but either way they require special consideration when moving them from one location to another.