Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
...for the Safe Transportation of Hazardous Materials
The purpose of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Program, first established by statute in 1974,
is to identify and manage risks presented by transportation of hazardous materials in commerce.
Safety is of paramount importance as the Department of Transportation seeks to involve the public,
industry, and other interested parties in determining levels of risk that are acceptable, affordable,
and comparable with other risks inherent in modern society.
Today, uniform regulations to manage the risk associated with transportation of hazardous materials are
essentially in place worldwide. The Department of Transportation continues to strive to identify and manage
potential hazards, the probability of occurrence of incidents in transportation, and the consequences of such incidents.
The DOT Hazardous Materials Risk Management Program encompasses different modes of transportation,
a wide assortment of hazardous materials (for example, chemicals, radioactive materials, and infectious
substances), manufacturers (hazardous materials and packaging products), shippers, and carriers of all
sizes. Information on unintentional releases of hazardous materials and the consequences are collected
and analyzed. Identifying low probability, high consequence events (which may not be apparent from
incident data) and providing appropriate levels of protection are among the more demanding aspects of our
risk management program. A further challenge is to strike a proper balance between levels of safety and
costs that result from regulations, special permits, and approvals.
Information on aspects of the DOT Hazardous Materials Risk Management Program is accessible below.
We plan to expand this site to include topics such as: Performance Measures, Data, Resources, Tools,
Conferences, Frequently Asked Questions, References, Industry Programs, Case Studies, and Links.
Please provide your comments, questions, suggested additions, or recommendations on the
Feedback page.
The electronic version of the National Academies TRB Special Report 283: Cooperative Research for Hazardous Materials Transportation--Defining the Need, Converging on Solutions can be found at the following URL:
http://trb.org/publications/sr/sr283.pdf
PHMSA is committed to leadership in implementing risk-management methodologies.
This website serves as a focal point for activities in this area.
Suggestions on how to implement risk management methodologies for assuring the safe transportation of hazardous materials are invited.
NOTE: This page contains links to Adobe.pdf files
(i.e., a file that allows you to view/print the document in its original format).
In order to view and print them, you must have Adobe Reader properly configured
with your browser. You may download this software FREE from
Adobe's
Web site. For best viewing results, change Adobe Reader's
view setting to "Fit Visible".
|