Amazon to open warehouse to store potentially hazardous goods, adds fees

Written on: May 20, 2019 by SprayTM

Amazon is building a separate warehouse in Mississippi that is intended specifically for hazardous goods it stores and ships to customers, including bleach cleaner, nail polish, bear spray and more. The warehouse is smaller than a typical fulfillment center at 500,000 square feet, and will house the most hazardous items that Amazon ships. The decision follows an incident in December in which a can of bear spray fell off a shelf at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Robbinsville, NJ and released fumes that injured 54 workers.

In reports, Amazon calls the new warehouse a “specially engineered building” that includes technology to handle potentially hazardous consumer goods, separates items and features an upgraded sprinkler system as well as extra staff training. Amazon noted other fulfillment centers will still handle these products with existing hazmat policies, however, the dedicated center takes it one step further. The items in Mississippi will be shipped via ground transportation only.

Amazon also recently announced a new fee for “dangerous” items, like aerosol cans and lithium-ion batteries, that sellers send to Amazon warehouses. The fees are higher than the regular fees Amazon charges for using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).