Overview
The Department of Transportation (DOT) sets out the requirements for providing and maintaining emergency response information during transportation and at facilities where hazardous materials are loaded for transportation, stored incidental to transportation or otherwise handled during any phase of transportation. This applies to persons who offer for transportation, accept for transportation, transfer or otherwise handle hazardous materials during transportation. No covered person may offer for transportation, accept for transportation, transfer, store or otherwise handle during transportation a hazardous material unless:
- Emergency response information is immediately available for use at all times the hazardous material is present; and
- Emergency response information, including the emergency response telephone number required by this subpart, is immediately available to any person who, as a representative of a Federal, State or local government agency, responds to an incident involving a hazardous material or is conducting an investigation which involves a hazardous material.
Emergency response information means information that can be used in the mitigation of an incident involving hazardous materials and, as a minimum, must contain the following information:
- The basic description and technical name of the hazardous material;
- Immediate hazards to health;
- Risks of fire or explosion;
- Immediate precautions to be taken in the event of an accident or incident;
- Immediate methods for handling fires;
- Initial methods for handling spills or leaks in the absence of fire; and
- Preliminary first aid measures.
A current North American Emergency Response Guidebook or Safety Data Sheet will comply with this requirement provided it accompanies the shipment of hazardous materials.