UK company prosecuted for attempting to export improperly packaged batteries

LE West, a UK medical supplier, has been charged for breaching international dangerous goods regulations for attempting to ship improperly packaged lithium batteries.

A fine of over £3000 from Chelmsford Magistrates Court was charged to the Essex based company last week as it was heard LE West tried to send the four batteries without using the appropriate packaging materials to support the dangerous goods. The company was heard to have neither used an approved container, with them also failing to declare the highly dangerous items as required.

The batteries, used in medical defibrillators, were discovered by a UPS operational employee, before the shipment was due to be loaded onto the aircraft. As with situations of this nature, the employee of the US company then reported their findings to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who took the matter further.

Lithium batteries have been known in the past for being the root cause for many aircraft fires as a result poor packaging, an example of this being the disaster of the UPS Boeing 747-400 Freighter aircraft at Dubai International Airport in 2010. Investigations into the crash revealed that the aircraft was carrying a large volume of lithium batteries which, although it could not be confirmed, were reported to have caused the fire. It is thought the outbreak of the fire was caused by the unsuitably packaged batteries, which also resulted in the death of the only two cabin crew members on board at the time.

Since the prosecution, Le West has been advised by the CAA to follow the appropriate guidelines involving the shipping of dangerous goods. Le West’s response was that they have now took steps into ensuring their staff are properly trained, as well as improving their management oversight.

Before shipping with Transglobal Express, it is recommended to review our Dangerous, Hazardous and Prohibited Items list to ensure your goods are safe to send.