The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is responsible for protecting the public from dangers associated with the transportation of hazardous materials. This responsibility is in part addressed through the training of persons responsible for regulatory compliance, enforcement, and response to accidents and incidents involving hazardous materials.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) oversees the safety of the more than 800,000 daily shipments of hazardous materials in the United States and the 64 percent of the nation's energy that is transported by pipelines. PHMSA is dedicated solely to safety by working toward the elimination of transportation-related deaths and injuries in hazardous materials and pipeline transportation and by promoting transportation solutions that enhance communitiesand protect the natural environment.
PHMSA oversees rules governing the safe transportation and packaging of hazardous materials by all modes of transportation, excluding bulk transportation by water. PHMSA also assists local and state authorities with training for hazardous materials emergencies.
In support of the USDOT and PHMSA, the Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) Hazardous Materials Division trains Federal, State and local enforcement agencies, emergency response personnel and industry (shippers, carriers, manufacturers, etc.) in the complexities of the hazardous materials regulations.
TSI offers a wide variety of hazardous materials regulation classes and seminars that cover all modes of domestic and international transportation. Students are instructed on regulations of 49 CFR for the transportation of hazardous materials by air, rail, highway and water; the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG) for ocean vessel shipments; the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Technical Instructions along with the industry standards issued in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations for commercial air shipments. TSI also offers specialized regulation classes on dealing with awareness for initial response to Hazardous material (Hazmat) incidents, transportation of Hazmat and recurrent training, hazardous wastes and substances, cargo tanks, portable tanks, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), cylinders, United Nations performance-oriented packaging (UN/POP), instructor training, radioactive materials, explosives, and the military airlift of hazardous materials (AFMAN 24-204(I).
Pete Kramer, Manager
