Atlanta-based Home Depot faces a civil penalty of as much as $52,000 for allegedly attempting to ship a box of 16 cans of spray paint, a flammable aerosol, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Home Depot handed the box to UPS for shipment by air from San Antonio to Pleasant Prairie, Wis. in October 2014, according to the FAA. The FAA says the shipments were not properly marked or labeled with papers on the hazardous contents, and did not have the required emergency response information.
A UPS employee in San Antonio discovered the issue before the box was loaded onto a plane.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Home Depot has 30 days to respond to the FAA enforcement letter.
The home improvement chain says it was an incorrect shipment and not a systemic issue.
"Still, we quickly put measures in place to ensure it doesn't happen again," according to Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes, who added it's "something we take very seriously."
About the Author
