When shipping or transporting hazmat, how do you provide the emergency response information?
The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) requires those who ship or transport hazardous materials that require hazmat shipping papers to have emergency response information.
Over four weeks, we asked subscribers how they provide the emergency response information when shipping or transporting hazmat. This is what respondents told us:
- 38 percent said they use the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG)
- 24 percent said they use the Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
- 28 percent said they include it on the hazmat shipping paper
- 10 percent said their materials do not require emergency response information
Emergency response information requirements
As you can tell from the poll question, the HMR allows you to provide emergency response information in a few different ways. The information can be presented in any one of the following ways:
- On a hazmat shipping paper.
- In a document, other than a shipping paper, that includes both the basic description and technical name of the hazardous material and all of the required emergency response information, such as the SDS.
- Related to the information on a shipping paper, in a separate document that cross-references the description of the hazardous material on the shipping paper with the emergency response information contained in the document, such as the ERG
Now that you know the different ways the emergency response information can be provided, what information needs to be included? The HMR lays it all out in 172.602, the emergency response information must include the following:
- The basic description of the hazardous material
- Immediate hazards to health
- Risks of fire or explosion
- Immediate precautions that must be taken in the event of an accident or incident
- Immediate methods for handling fires
- Initial methods for handling spills or leaks in the absence of fire
- Preliminary first aid measures
Also, the information must be legibly printed in English and be available to be used away from packages containing hazmat.
Key to remember: The emergency response information can be provided in several different ways and it doesn’t matter which way you choose to present it as long as all of the required information is included.