Written incident report

• Each person in physical possession of hazardous material at the time of an incident must submit a Hazardous Materials Incident Report within 30 days of discovering the incident.
• A report isn’t required under certain conditions, such as release of a minimal amount of material from a vent or during line connection, or the discovery of material in an air passenger’s luggage.

Each person in physical possession of a hazardous material at the time of an incident must submit a Hazardous Materials Incident Report. A report must be made within 30 days of discovery of an incident arising out of the transportation, loading, unloading, or temporary storage of hazardous materials as follows:

• As a follow-up to any incident reported by phone, as required by 171.15;
• As the result of an unintentional release of hazardous materials or any quantity of hazardous waste;
• If a specification cargo tank (1,000 gallons or more) suffers structural damage to the lading retention system or damage that requires repair to a system intended to protect the lading retention system even though there is no release of material;
• If an undeclared shipment is discovered; or
• If a fire, violent rupture, explosion, or dangerous evolution of heat occurs as a direct result of a battery or a battery-powered device.

The report must be filed on DOT Form F5800.1, Hazardous Materials Incident Report. Completed forms F5800.1 must be filed with:

• Information Systems Manager
• PHH-60, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
• Department of Transportation, East Building
• 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE Washington, DC 20590-0001

In place of an incident report on a paper form, an electronic incident report may be submitted at http://hazmat.dot.gov.

A copy of the report must be retained at the reporting person’s principal place of business for two years. If the report is maintained somewhere else, it must be made available at the reporting person’s principal place of business within 24 hours of a request by an authorized official.

See DOT Guide for Preparing Hazardous Materials Incident Reports for instructions on proper completion of F5800.1.

Except when immediate phone notice is required (171.15), Hazardous Materials Incident Reports are not required for the following incidents:

• A release of a minimal amount of material from:
  • A vent, for materials for which venting is authorized;
  • The routine operation of a seal, pump, compressor, or valve; or
  • Connection or disconnection of loading or unloading lines, provided that the release does not result in property damage.
• An unintentional release of material when:
  • The material is a limited quantity (except Class 7 material) or is a Packing Group III material in Class or Division 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, or 9;
  • Each package has a capacity of less than 20 liters (5.2 gallons) for liquids or less than 30 kg (66 pounds) for solids;
  • The total aggregate release is less than 20 liters (5.2 gallons) for liquids or less than 30 kg (66 pounds) for solids; and
  • The material is not offered for transportation or transported by aircraft, is not a hazardous waste, or is not an undeclared hazardous material.
• An undeclared hazardous material discovered in an air passenger’s checked or carry-on baggage during the airport screening process.

The incident report must be updated within one year of the date of occurrence of the incident whenever:

• A death results from injury caused by the material;
• There was a misidentification of the material or package information on a prior report;
• Damage, loss, or related cost that was not known when the initial incident report was filed becomes known; or
• The damage, loss, or related cost changes by $25,000 or more, or 10% of the prior total estimate, whichever is greater.