HARMONISATION WITH INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS: CHASING TIMES IN THE UNITED STATES

On May 5, 1987, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), Office of Hazardous Materials Transportation (OHMT) published a major proposed rulemaking, Docket HM-181. Some 254 pages long, this rulemaking proposes to completely revamp the U.S. regulatory system for the carriage of all dangerous goods. First published as an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in 1982, this action was primarily limited in scope to incorporating the performance-oriented packaging requirements of the United Nations, thereby effectively eliminating the DOT specification package. Most DOT packagings are presently built to existing specifications which prescribe all of the details of construction (type of metal, wood, fasteners, etc.) and not directly to a performance test standard. While drums, boxes, cans, etc. are all covered by this rulemaking, the specifications for portable tanks, rail cars and cargo tanks remain as currently listed in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 178. A related rulemaking, "Requirements for Cargo Tanks" will alter the requirements for carriage by highway tank vehicles.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper presented at MariChem '87 Conf., held Hamburg, 20-22 Oct. 1987, Paper 3.4 [14 pp., 7 ref.]
• Authors:
  • Olenik, P C
• Publication Date: 1987

Language

• English

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Hazardous materials; Transportation
• Old TRIS Terms: Hazardous materials transportation
• Subject Areas: Materials; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00693071
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Maritime Technology
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 14 1995 12:00AM