Here is the GT Program on shipping biological and chemical materials.

Shipping Chemical and Biological Materials

Shipping biological and chemical materials from Georgia Tech to another location or from a field research site back to Tech is regulated by the federal government.  Attempting to ship materials without the proper training and certifications can result in jail time, hefty fines, and in the worst case, loss of life, as in the crash of Valujet Flight 592 in 1996. There are no small quantity exemptions or special dispensation for educational institutions in the shipping regulations:  In 2011 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)  $175,000 for improperly shipping devices containing with lithium batteries.  Also in 2011, GT paid $3,000.00 in fines because two different researchers who were not certified shippers signed shipping papers indicating that they were certified.  Please note also that future fines incurred by GT employees with be paid by the employee, not the Institute. 

Becoming a certified shipper is a complicated process involving 40 hours of classroom training and 8 hours of refresher training every two years.  GT EHS personnel are trained and certified in shipping hazardous goods and will ship your materials for you.  All you need to do is go to our shipping website and learn what you need to do to take advantage of this service - EHS takes care of everything else.  

Researcher are advised to plan ahead when doing research at sister institutions by purchasing chemicals and having them delivered directly to the sister institution.  Chemicals and biologicals being shipped back from field locations must be shipped by certified shippers at the field destination - please contact EHS in advance so that an appropriately trained shipper in the area can be identified and arrangements can be made to ship your samples back to Tech. 

Receiving Chemical and Biological Materials

Any person with the potential of receiving, or otherwise processing incoming chemical or biological materials must receive training on hazard recognition, safety precautions, security, and incident response. This includes the person in the lab whose only job is to open the box.  Training on receiving biological and chemical materials is available on line through the GT Training Department.  Only Radiological Safety personnel may receive radiological materials.