Mailing standards; hazardous materials; Postal services (ICS code(s): 03.240); Domestic safety (ICS code(s): 13.120); Protection against dangerous goods (ICS code(s): 13.300)

New Mailing Standards for the Separation of Hazardous Materials

Interim final rule - The Postal Service is revising Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Pub 52), to incorporate new requirements for mailers to separate, into identifiable containers, all hazardous material (HAZMAT) requiring hazardous marks or labels from other mail when tendering to the Postal Service. The Postal Service is also adopting related standard operating procedures for the Postal Service's acceptance, dispatch, and mail processing personnel to maintain the integrity of HAZMAT separation. Additionally, the Postal Service will now require pre-owned, damaged, or defective electronic devices containing or packed with lithium batteries to be mailed only via surface transportation and to bear specified markings.