The American Association of Railroads will host a Tank Car/Hazmat conference in Dallas next month to discuss recent developments in the field, as well as responses by industry. Tanks cars follow behind BNSF 5479 leading a train through the sunset in Auburn, Washington on September 14th, 2017. Photo by Nikki Burgess © 9/2017; all rights reserved.
Fall is just around the corner; the official first day of autumn is this Friday. Will the regulatory pace increase to wrap up the year? Time will tell. Meanwhile, here’s what was new this week:
PHMSA
The agency issued notifications for its receipt of both applications for new Special Permits as well as modifications of existing permits. Actions requested run the gamut from the usual activity surrounding cylinder approvals and Lithium Battery transport conditions to more exotic plans for things like modified liners and pressure controls for large cargo tanks and increased ladings for helicopters. See all the action right here:
- Modification requests: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-09-13/pdf/2017-19343.pdf
- New Applications:
OSHA
- The agency has issued a renewed ICR pertaining to the collection of injury and illness reports from American employers. The injury and illness records are intended to provide data needed by OSHA to carry out enforcement and intervention activities to provide workers a safe and healthful work environment. See the new collection renewal here
- OSHA has also published its more updated guide to how it interprets the training requirements found in the 29 CFR 1910 safety regulations. The guidance can help users to more closely align their programs with what OSHA identifies as necessary components of any compliant worker safety training system. It’s a free download, and you can find it right here
Transport Canada
The Canadian analog to PHMSA has roiled the waters of the Dangerous Goods world somewhat with an announcement (via White Paper) that it is exploring the idea of a mandatory certification exam for all employees in Canada who handle Dangerous Goods, with a potential extension of that exam requirement to entities importing DG in to Canada as well. Such a requirement could have far reaching effects. At present only in the exploratory proposal phase, it nevertheless bears close watching. Such a requirement (i.e. a “government issue” mandatory exam for everyone in the DG supply chain) would be unique in the world at present. See more about the proposal right here
Railroad Hazmat Meeting
The American Association of Railroads (AAR) will hold a meeting of leading industry professionals to discuss the current state of the art related to transporting hazmat in bulk in the US. The meeting is in Dallas in October, and will include coverage of all the recent changes to tank car and other safety standards that have been imposed over the last few years. See the agenda and ways to participate right here
Labelmaster is a full service provider of products and services for the Hazardous Materials and Dangerous Goods professional, shippers, transport operators, and EH&S providers. See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com.
