The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned lithium ion battery manufacturer, Braille Battery from shipping its products by air due to not complying with Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR).
The FAA says it took the action because the Sarasota, Florida based company failed to ship lithium ion batteries in accordance with appropriate regulations and continued to offer products for air transport that were not properly tested despite warnings.
The US Department of Transportation’s FAA says: “The FAA determined that Braille Battery’s overall conditions and practices constitute an imminent hazard.”
The agency also issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) to warn airlines about the risk some Braille Battery lithium ion batteries could present when accepted and transported as air cargo. The SAFO includes recommendations that operators take as control measures to prevent Braille batteries from being a risk to their systems and which models are known to have been UN tested.
The FAA says if Braille Battery does not comply with the order it will be subject to criminal prosecution and civil penalties of up to $179,933 for each violation, and for each day they are found to be in violation.
