Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In response to requests from stakeholders, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have published a joint guidance memo to clarify their respective requirements for labeling hazardous chemicals for bulk shipments.
On June 22, 2016, President Obama signed the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act (PIPES Act). The law, which received strong bipartisan support, extends and funds through 2019 the gas and hazardous liquid pipeline safety program implemented by the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
In a final action taken largely in response to a petition it received in 2008, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a final rule establishing a new section (49 CFR 173.157) in its hazardous materials regulations (HMRs) covering reverse logistics highway shipments of certain hazardous materials hazardous materials.
Reverse operations just got a nudge forward for retailers. If you manage a retail operation, you are confronted with waste and hazardous materials problems that can be confusing for even the most seasoned manager. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently finalized efforts to make reverse logistics easier for retailers that have to ship hazardous […]
Get a group of EHS professionals together and the subject of hazardous materials (hazmat) training will invariably come up. What does the Department of Transportation (DOT) expect? How can you be sure that your training is effective and compliant with the DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs)? Today we offer steps for developing a training program […]
If you are a hazardous materials transportation employer, it is worthwhile to keep an eye on what the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) considers priorities. That way you can focus resources in the direction the agency feels compliance efforts should be targeted. Fortunately, PHMSA recently released a list of hazardous materials transportation research […]
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), more than one-third of hazardous materials transportation violations involve the failure of employers to provide training or maintain employee training records. In most cases, violations are attributed to failure to provide function-specific training. Aside from providing the required training for loading and unloading cargo tank vehicles, there […]
A driver miscommunicates critical information to facility personnel during delivery of corrosive material that was then unloaded into the wrong storage tank containing incompatible materials. Adding to the confusion, it’s the driver’s first delivery to this location. The comingling of incompatible materials emits a vapor affecting the breathing of the driver and facility employee resulting […]
In a new final rule, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is adopting the provisions of 96 special permits (SPs) into its hazardous materials regulations (HMRs).
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) recently issued a final rule codifying the provisions of nine special permits for companies that transport certain bulk explosives. What are special permits and what kind of flexibility do they offer for transporting hazardous materials? How is training handled under special permits? How is PHMSA moving toward […]