Amazon has been found guilty in the UK of shipping dangerous goods by air following a prosecution by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The online retailer was found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on 20 September 2016 on four counts ‘of causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft’ under the Air Navigation (Dangerous Goods) Regulations 2002.
The offences took place between January 2014 and June 2015 when shipments including lithium ion batteries and flammable aerosols were found by Royal Mail screening staff. Amazon UK Services will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 23 September.
The CAA’s general counsel, Kate Staples says: “We work closely with retailers and online traders to ensure they understand the regulations and have robust processes in place so their items can be shipped safely.”
“Whenever issues are identified, we work with companies to make sure those issues are addressed appropriately. But if improvements are not made, we have to consider enforcement action and as this case demonstrates, we are determined to protect the public by enforcing the dangerous goods regulations.”
The CAA prosecution follows legal action in the US, with the Federal Aviation Administration proposing fines totalling $480,000 for hazardous materials violations in June.
