Page 480 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

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Hazardous Waste Transportation 451
2. Fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected radioactive contamination occurs (see also 49 CFR
174.45, 175.45, 176.48, and 177.807).
3. Fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected contamination occurs involving shipment of infec-
tious substances (etiologic agents).
4. Release of a marine pollutant exceeding 450 L (119 gal) for liquids or 400 kg (882 lb)
for solids.
5. A situation exists (e.g., a danger to life exists at the scene of the incident) such that, in
the judgment of the carrier, it should be reported to the DOT.

Each notice must be given to the National Response Center by telephone (800-424-8802).
Notice involving infectious substances (etiologic agents) may instead be given to the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control, U.S. Public Health Service, Atlanta, Georgia (800-232-0124). Each notice
must include:

● Name of reporter and of carrier
● Phone number where reporter can be contacted
● Date, time, and location of incident
● Extent of any injuries
● Classification, name, and quantity of hazardous materials involved, if such information
is available
● Type of incident
● Whether a continuing danger to life exists at the scene

The NRC is staffed around the clock. The Coast Guard Duty Officer notifies concerned organ-
izations including the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), modal administra-
tions, CHEMTREC (a U.S. and Canadian chemical tracking system), and the National
Transportation Safety Board to bring about prompt resolution of serious incidents. The telephone
notices received by the NRC are accumulated and transmitted daily to the Hazardous Materials
Information System (HMIS) host computer which is maintained at the Volpe National
Transportation System Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the Volpe Center, the information
is made available that day in a telephone database.

13.7.2 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENTS REPORTS (49 CFR 171.16)
Within 30 days of the date of discovery of a hazardous materials incident, the carrier must report in
writing to the DOT on Form F 5800.1 (Figure 13.14). Each incident that occurred during trans-
portation (including loading, unloading, and temporary storage) or any unintentional release of haz-
ardous materials from a package (including a tank) must be reported. The report identifies the mode
of transportation involved, name of reporting carrier, shipment information, results of the incident,
hazardous materials involved, nature of packaging, cause of failure, and narrative description of the
incident. This information is available in the incident database approximately 3 months after the
receipt of the report by RSPA.
If a report pertains to a hazardous waste discharge, a copy of the hazardous waste manifest for
the waste must be attached to the report. Also, an estimate of the quantity of the waste removed from
the scene, the name and address of the facility to which it was taken, and the mode of disposition
of any removed waste must be entered in the report form (Form F 5800.1). The report is to be sent
to the Research and Special Programs Administration, Department of Transportation, Washington,
DC. A copy of the report must be retained for 2 years at the carrier’s office.
The HMIS is a computerized information management system containing data related to the
DOT program to ensure safe transportation of hazardous materials by air, highway, rail, and water.
The HMIS is the primary source of national data for the federal, state, and local governmental