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UK fines Amazon US$84,295 for trying to ship lithium batteries
ONLINE shopping giant Amazon was fined GBP65,000 (US$84,295) in London on Friday after being found guilty of attempting to ship lithium ion batteries and flammable aerosols by air, Press Association reported.
The e-retailer was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of four counts of causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft, a breach of air safety regulations.
The items - three batteries, a small can of Dove deodorant and a Tresemme hair mousse - were destined for flights within and outside the UK in four shipments and were ordered between November 2013 and June 2015.
They were only discovered when cargoes were screened by Royal Mail and UPS ahead of their intended departures and intercepted before they could reach the aircraft.
Amazon UK Services Ltd said they were "inadvertent" breaches of rules and were "neither wilful nor reckless", a result of misclassification caused by human error.
"Under the right circumstances the batteries, even new, undamaged batteries, could overheat, potentially causing burns, explosion or a fire," said the prosecutor.
Amazon was fined after it was revealed the UK subsidiary had a turnover of just under GBP1 billion in 2015, with a profit of GBP38 million.
Sentencing the firm, Judge Michael Grieve QC said while there were "few and comparatively minor contraventions" he had to take into account the "massive resources of the company".
"In my view the jury's verdict reflects a finding of systemic failure, albeit as a result of human error," said Judge Grieve.
The e-retailer was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of four counts of causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft, a breach of air safety regulations.
The items - three batteries, a small can of Dove deodorant and a Tresemme hair mousse - were destined for flights within and outside the UK in four shipments and were ordered between November 2013 and June 2015.
They were only discovered when cargoes were screened by Royal Mail and UPS ahead of their intended departures and intercepted before they could reach the aircraft.
Amazon UK Services Ltd said they were "inadvertent" breaches of rules and were "neither wilful nor reckless", a result of misclassification caused by human error.
"Under the right circumstances the batteries, even new, undamaged batteries, could overheat, potentially causing burns, explosion or a fire," said the prosecutor.
Amazon was fined after it was revealed the UK subsidiary had a turnover of just under GBP1 billion in 2015, with a profit of GBP38 million.
Sentencing the firm, Judge Michael Grieve QC said while there were "few and comparatively minor contraventions" he had to take into account the "massive resources of the company".
"In my view the jury's verdict reflects a finding of systemic failure, albeit as a result of human error," said Judge Grieve.
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