FAA proposes $350,000 fine against Amazon for shipping 'Liquid Fire'

The FAA wants to fine Amazon $350,000 for mishandling the shipment of something called "Amazing! Liquid Fire," Reuters reports. The FAA claims that in October 2014, Amazon shipped the product — one gallon of corrosive clog remover — from Louisville, KY to Boulder, CO, violating the FAA's Hazardous Materials Regulations in the process, according to a press release.

The Liquid Fire, which traveled by air via UPS, apparently leaked through its fiberboard packaging at some point during shipment. Nine UPS employees who handled the box reported feeling a "burning sensation" on their skin, according to the FAA. They had to be treated with a chemical wash.

A burning sensation, via Amazon

The FAA claims its regulations were violated by Amazon on several accounts. First, the Liquid Fire was not correctly packaged. Second, Amazon failed to ship the package with a "Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods" to indicate that the materials inside were hazardous. Third, the shipment did not include necessary emergency response information, and fourth, the Amazon employees in charge of the package were never properly trained to handle hazardous substances.

Amazon has violated the Hazardous Materials Regulations at least 24 times between February 2013 and September 2015, but the agency doesn't publicly announce fines below $50,000, Reuters reports. Amazon has 30 days after it receives the FAA's enforcement letter to respond.

• ViaReuters
• SourceFAA