Hazardous materials are essential to our everyday lives as they are used for farming and medical applications and in manufacturing, mining, and other industrial processes. Millions of tons of explosive, toxic, corrosive, flammable, and radioactive materials are transported every day. However, these substances may pose a threat to public safety or the environment during transportation due to their physical, chemical, or nuclear properties.

These materials move by plane, train, truck, or vessel in quantities ranging from several ounces to many thousands of gallons with the vast majority of these shipments arriving safely at their destinations. In an effort to be proactive and reduce the probability and quantity of any hazardous material release, a hazardous material regulatory system was established. This risk management system is prevention-oriented and focused on identifying any safety hazards. Under the Department of Transportation’s Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs), hazardous materials (hazmat) are categorized by hazard analysis and experience into hazard classes and packing groups.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) hazardous materials transportation safety program historically has focused on reducing risks related to the unintentional release of hazardous materials. The HMRs are designed to achieve two goals: (1) to ensure that hazardous materials are packaged and handled safely during transportation, thus minimizing the possibility of their release should an incident occur, and (2) to effectively communicate to carriers, transportation workers, and emergency responders the hazards of the materials being transported. The HMRs specify how to classify and package a hazardous material.

Since the terrorist attacks in 2001, the DOT has collaboratedwith the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to address the risks of intentional releases of hazmat in transportation. The DOT and the TSA have developed significant new requirements to improve the security of certain "high-hazard" hazmat while in transit, including requirements for security plans, security training, and background checks for drivers. The DOT and the TSA also have conducted major new studies and field tests to demonstrate the potential for new technology, such as real-time global positioning system tracking, to enhance security.

Battelle has been called upon by both the DOT and the TSA to help conduct new research to address these security concerns. Battelle led a major multi-year, field operational test to evaluate promising technology such as real-time tracking, remote vehicle disabling, biometric driver identification systems, electronic cargo seals, and emergency driver alerts. Battelle also recently won a competitive award to support DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) with the rulemakings that they manage to amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations. Additionally, Battelle supports DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in analyzing safety regulations including a new task to assess the adequacy of hazmat routing regulations. Both OHMS and FMCSA also benefit from Battelle’s environmental analysis capabilities.

For additional information on Battelle’s hazardous materials transportation expertise, contact Mr. John Allen at (202) 646-5225, allenj@battelle.org, or Dr. Mark Lepofsky at (202) 646-7786, lepofskym@battelle.org.