Risk assessment and risk management are integral to the hazardous materials transportation safety program. All parties perform these functions, whether they are aware of it or not or whether they use these terms to describe what they do. Risk assessment and risk management are not necessarily complicated. They often involve simple judgment. In other situations, more rigorous or formal applications may be warranted.

To aid this process, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's (PHMSA) Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) sponsored development of a framework for risk management applicable to the transportation of hazardous materials. The product, designated as the Risk Management Self-Evaluation Framework (RMSEF), provides a basic framework for managing risk as part of the hazardous materials transportation process. RMSEF is a tool for all parties (regulators, shippers, carriers, emergency response personnel, etc.) to look at their operations and consider how they assess and manage risk.

PHMSA and OHMS encourage those involved in hazardous materials transportation to use the framework as a tool, as appropriate, in their quest to improve safety. We would appreciate feedback on your experience using RMSEF or similar tools. We would like to know of successes or areas where difficulties are encountered. Your suggestions for improvement are particularly welcome. Feedback and suggestions can be provided.  → → →