Postal Service bans delivery of single lithium batteries in Brazil

Following the guidance of National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), the post offices will no longer make deliveries of spare batteries as of January 31, 2019. The decision arose from the publication in January of this year of a regulation regarding the transport of objects that are considered hazardous in civil aircraft, made by Anac itself.

 Dangerous article means an article or substance that, when transported by air, may pose a risk to health, safety, property and the environment and that appears on the List of Dangerous Goods or is classified in accordance with the DOC. 9284-AN/905.

This means that, for most sections, the delivery of parcels containing lithium or lithium-ion batteries or cells, which are usually the batteries found in electronic devices such as smartphones and notebooks, is prohibited. What is most striking is that in some of these cases, shipping is prohibited even if the battery in question is attached to the device. In such cases, it will be impossible to send and receive smartphones and notebook from one location to another.

Types of orders that may or may not carry batteries

This is the case for orders sent by Fed 10 (national and state), Sedex 12 (national or state), Sedex simple (national) and four sections of the state single Sedex: Amazonas (from Manaus to Carauari, Eurinepé, Envira, Tabatinga, São Paulo to Olivença or Tefé), Pará (from Belém to Santarém), Pernambuco (from Recife to Fernando de Noronha) and Acre (from Rio Branco to Porto Walter, Marechal Thaumaturgo, Jordan or Santa Rosa do Purus). In them will be forbidden dispatches containing batteries and cells, even if they are attached to the devices.

the posts state are those that take place between two different cities, but which are in the same state. Already the national are the orders that are sent in one city and delivered in another city in a different state of origin.

As for the shipments of PAC, Sedex Hoje, Sedex Local (all sections), and in the case of Sedex 10 and Sedex 12 that are local, that is, within the same state, orders will be accepted as long as the batteries are attached to the technological device. That is, batteries already connected to smartphones and notebooks, for example. Correios also told E-Commerce Brasil that:

“Batteries that are out cannot be posted under any circumstances”

That is, batteries and separate batteries will be prohibited regardless of the type of postage at the Post Office. In practice, this bars the sending of new smartphones that come with a separate battery inside the box. Fortunately, currently most of the most current devices are coming with non-removable batteries, which at least make them subject to shipping depending on the modality and type of order in question.

A Anac also commented on the restriction and stated that it has existed since 2016. It originated from a determination made by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and does not only include the Post Office, but any type of carrier.

How will supervision work?

And with this new regulation, the Post Office has already started to train its employees and define the new procedures aimed at security and which should begin to be adopted by the entire service network. This will help to make the change in an organized way and with as much information as possible for the users.

This will happen simply. When arriving at the Post Office to post an order, the customer will be asked if that package contains any type of battery or battery. This is a procedure that is common, for example, at airports, where officials ask if passengers have flammable objects or sharp punctures. And this will serve all customers, even those who have a contract with the Post Office.

This questioning is made because, as it is not an inspection body, the Post Office cannot open the package and check the presence of batteries there. That is, they will be posted closed as they came and the responsibility for compliance with the law is the sender himself. That is why it is important that customers are aware and aware of the regulations, as they will be responsible for observing this legislation.

If the customer states that he is taking a battery or battery, he will be asked if it is attached to any equipment. If not, the post will not be made. If so, the attendant will need to check which type of post it is to know if it fits the ones that allow this sending. If yes, the post will be made. If not, it will not be accepted and the attendant will explain the reason.

This procedure takes place at the time of posting, and this avoids situations in which it is necessary to return some orders, especially to stores during purchases. It is worth remembering that despite the examples, this applies to a variety of equipment that can be for personal use or even for hospitals and commerce.