The United States Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a major revision to the regulations governing hazard communication in the US 29 CFR 1910.1200 in May of 2012. The revision, which in large measure conformed US hazard communication standards, or the HCS, to those of the United Nations Globally Harmonized…
US DOT/PHMSA Issues Interpretation Letter Regarding Class 9 Labels and Placards
In the July 20th, 2011 edition of the US Federal Register, the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a final rule under [Docket No. PHMSA–2009–0151 (HM–218F)] under which the agency, among many other things, set forth new specifications and requirements governing the appearance of the Class 9…
USDOT/PHMSA Issues New Special Permit Actions
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today issued an end-of-the-fiscal-year listing of actions pertaining to Special Permits, including those applied for, those granted or withdrawn, and those modified. A variety of subjects are addressed, including issues affecting the transport of explosives, batteries, testing of UN Spec cylinders,…
The Sky is NOT The Limit When Shipping DG
It’s been a busy summer for our A.I.R. ShipperTM authoring team. Rolling in the large number of changes developed by ICAO, the UN and the IAEA was a challenge made more difficult with very late changes for lithium metal batteries. In case you hadn’t heard, these will be banned aboard passenger aircraft per the ICAO Technical…
USDOT/PHMSA Releases NPRM on Special Permit and Authority Approval Procedures for Fireworks Policies
In the September 24th 2014 edition of the US Federal Register, the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published two clarifications of their fireworks policies under Docket #’s PHMSA-2013-0205; Notice No. 14-4 and 14-5 in which the agency sets forth acceptable criteria for defining for classification purposes both…
Homeland Security Requests New Information for First Responder Community of Practice Program
The United States Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) has published an information collection request in today’s Federal Register (Docket No. DHS-2012-0013) pertaining to their First Responders Community of Practice program (FRCoP).
US Federal Railroad Administration Issues Proposed Rulemaking to Codify Emergency Order 28 of August 2013
At approximately 1:15 AM EST on July 6th, 2013, a unit freight train of the cross-border operating Montreal, Maine, & Atlantic Railroad (MM&A) loaded with crude oil from the Bakken Shale Formations in North Dakota in the western United States suffered a failure of its automatic and manual braking systems while left unattended and presumably…
USDOT/PHMSA Releases Call for Comments on 2016 Emergency Response Guidebook
In the September 2nd, 2014 edition of the US Federal Register, the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published an initial call for comments and suggestions in reference to the upcoming revision and publication of the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG), due out in 2016. The book is revised…
The Buzz: Upcoming End to Class 9 Hazard Label Transition Period has the Hazardous Materials Community Talking
In the July 20th, 2011 edition of the US Federal Register, the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a final rule under [Docket No. PHMSA–2009–0151 (HM–218F)] under which the agency, among many other things, set forth new specifications and requirements governing the appearance of the Class 9…
FMCSA Considers Negotiated Rulemaking Process for Upgraded Federal Regulations Governing CDL Driver Training
In an action published in today’s Federal Register, the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the retention of a “neutral convener” to explore with stakeholders the potential of entering into a negotiated rulemaking process regarding the upgrading of licensing requirements for holders of Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Comments on…