Under the Hazardous Materials Regulations, Subpart E - 49 CFR 107.401 an Approval may be granted to an organization or a person to conduct package testing as a DOT Approved UN Third Party Certification Agency. As such an agency, package testing may be conducted for either manufacturers of packagings or for shippers of hazardous materials and a certification made that the packagings are in full compliance with the requirements of the HMR for those package type.

Approvals are granted based upon the technical qualifications of the applicant as well as the results of an in-person inspection to determine the capability of the laboratory in which the package testing would be taking place.

There are approximately forty DOT Approved UN Third Party Certification Agencies operating under Approval of the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety.