PHMSA requirements

A number of regulations implemented by various agencies cover many aspects of transportation security. The regulation that affects the majority of regulated sites is PHMSA s Hazardous Materials Security Requirements for Offerors and... 

Hazardous Materials There is arequirementtoreport certain incidents in transporting hazardous material. An incident may involve loading, unloading, or temporary storage. A carrier must report immediately to PHMSA if the incident results in the death of a person, an injury requiring hospitalization, or certain other effects. The carrier must send a written follow-up report. 

Shippers will sometimes encounter a shipment for which there is no reasonable and compliant shipping approach. The shipment may require a variance or waiver in the regulations to allow for the use of alternative packaging or test procedures. Special permits can be obtained for such shipments, and can be used repetitively. The permits and the application process are described in 49 CFR 107 Subpart B, beginning in 49 CFR 107.101. Shippers can obtain their own unique permit or can request party status to utilize an existing permit (see 49 CFR 107.107). A library of existing special permits is maintained on the RAMPAC and PHMSA websites. 

Another credential that is only required for some companies is the Hazardous Materials Registration. This is issued by the Pipehne and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA), another agency within the DOT. The Hazardous Materials Registration must be completed by all carriers (for-hire and private) that transport amormts of hazardous materials that require placarding (referred to as placardable amormts ). 

In addition to the Motor Carrier Identification Report (MCS-150) covered earlier, carriers that desire to haul hazardous materials for the oil and gas industries, including their finished products, need to be registered with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). To do so, they use the Hazardous Materials Registration Statement (DOT F 5800.2) and may be required to have a Hazardous Materials Safety Permit (HMSP). 

Federal hazardous material transportation regulations. Sections 107.601 through 107.620 requires carriers of certain hazardous materials, including hazardous wastes, to file a registration statement with the U.S. Department of Transportation and to pay an annual registration fee. The program is administered by PHMSA. 

PHMSA has the primary responsibility for the issuance of DOT Special Permits and Approvals to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). These are documents that authorize a person to perform a function that is not currently authorized under the authority of the HMR. Also, in many instances, the regulations require approvals and/or registrations prior to transportation in commerce. At the current time, installation of the newer composite pipes in regulated pipelines requires special permits for each project. 

A person in possession of the hazardous material must file a written incident report for every incident. This includes any incident requiring immediate telephone notification and any unintentional release of hazardous materials from a package. The report must be completed using dot s Hazardous Materials Incident Report (DOT Form F 5800.1) and submitted to PHMSA within 30 days of the incident s discovery. 

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) oversees pipeline and hazardous materials transportation safety. The administration oversees the nations pipeline infrastructure, which accounts for 64% of energy commodities consumed in the United States. The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) functions as the safety authority for the nation s 2.3 million miles of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. The office administers a national regulatory program to ensure the safe pipeline transportation of natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and hazardous liquids by pipeline. The Accountable Pipeline Safety and Partnership Act of 1996 requires that OPS adopt rules requiring interstate gas pipeline operators to provide maps of their facilities to the governing body of each municipality in which a pipeline traverses. 

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