Things That Go Bang in the Night: Vehicle Safety Devices and How to Ship Them

Auto recycling facilities that ship undeployed airbag safety devices (this includes airbag modules, airbag inflators, and seatbelt pretensioners) for resale, recycling, or disposal are required by federal law to train and certify all individuals directly involved as Hazmat employees.  From the employee initially removing the airbag to the employee driving the final package to FedEx for shipment, all employees handling airbag safety devices must have Hazmat training.  The US Department of Transportation (DOT) considers undeployed safety devices to be hazardous material because they contain toxic or reactive chemicals (such as sodium azide), cylinders of highly compressed gas, or combinations of both.  If mishandled, airbag safety devices can deploy and injure those around them.  Chemical compounds within undeployed airbag safety devices can pose health risks to those exposed and degrade water quality.  Significant fines can be incurred if a facility is found to be improperly or illegally shipping airbag safety devices or failing to train employees.

Are deployed airbag safety devices considered hazardous material?

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