HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION

Measures to protect operating personnel and the public during the bulk transportation of hazardous materials are becoming more and more complex as chemical production increases and the size and variety of chemical shipments grows. Because of this, existing classification systems and accident statistics are no longer sufficient as a basis for developing safety regulations and standards. Thus, if chemical transportation disasters are to be reduced to a minimum, hazard evaluation must become a comprehensive, reliable science. Hazard evaluation seeks to minimize the probability of such disasters, and, failing that, to minimize the effects of those that do occur. To be useful, the hazard evaluation system should contain a minimum number of categories and still be comprehensible; reflect multiple inherent hazards; specify degrees of hazards; and be somewhat quantifiable. Two things should be noted about any hazard evaluation system and ratings mentioned in this article. First, they are guides to regulatory decision making and not rigid rules. Second, and a corrolary, other information is used whenever available to supplement or override ratings. Thus, there is a real distinction between the classification of hazardous materials and an evaluation of their hazards.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This article is extracted from an address by Commander Welsh delivered at the Marine Section of the National Safety Congress and Exposition in Chicago 1969.
• Corporate Authors:

  Merchant Marine Council

  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • McConnaughey, William E
  • Welsh, Myron E
  • Lakey, Robert J
  • Goldman, Richard M
• Publication Date: 1970-5

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 79-86
• Serial:
  • Merchant Marine Council, Proceedings
  • Volume: 27
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: Merchant Marine Council

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bulk cargo; Chemicals; Hazardous materials; Transportation
• Old TRIS Terms: Hazardous materials transportation
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00005629
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CG-129
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 25 1973 12:00AM