6-5) Hazardous Materials Transportation

When hazardous materials are in transit, they pass close to thousands-sometimes millions of people. Such shipments must be packed and handled as safely as possible.

The Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), DOT's research arm, discovered that the vast majority of hazardous materials-related accidents on the

highways of the United States were the direct result of human error. DOT decided that more training for HAZMAT employees was required to ensure their safety when handling and shipping hazardous materials.

49 CFR Part 172 and 29 CFR 1910.1201 When hazardous materials are transported in commerce, they fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Employers must also comply with the training requirements of OSHA's safety and health rules as they apply to conditioned at the facility.

HAZMAT employer. A HAZMAT employer is a person who uses one or more of its employees in connection with transporting hazardous materials in commerce; causing hazardous materials to be transported or shipped in commerce; or representing, marking, certifying, selling, offering, manufacturing, reconditioning, testing, repairing, or modifying containers, drums, or packaging as qualified for use in the transportation of hazardous materials. This term includes an owner-operator of a motor vehicle that transports hazardous materials in commerce (49 CFR 171.8).