Emergency response telephone number

Shipping papers must include a numeric emergency response telephone number that can be called in the event of an emergency.

Scope

Shippers and carriers must include an emergency response telephone number on the shipping papers for hazardous materials.

Regulatory citations

49 CFR 172.604 — Emergency response telephone number

Key definitions

Limited quantity: The maximum amount of a hazardous material for which there is a specific labeling or packaging exception.
Shipping paper: A shipping order, bill of lading, manifest, or other shipping document serving a similar purpose and prepared in accordance with the hazardous materials regulations (49 CFR Part 172, Subpart C).

Summary of requirements

The emergency response number must be the number of:

The person offering the material for transportation, when that person is also the emergency response information provider; or
Any agency or organization (such as CHEMTREC) that is capable of, and accepts responsibility for, providing detailed information on the hazardous material.

The number must be monitored at all times while the material is being transported — including storage incidental to transportation. Monitoring must be by a person who is knowledgeable of the hazards and characteristics of the material and who has emergency response and incident mitigation information for the material, or by someone who has immediate access to such a person. Answering machines and voice mail are not acceptable!

Location on shipping paper. The telephone number must be entered on the shipping paper:

Immediately following the description of the hazardous material; or
It may be entered once on the shipping paper in a clearly visible location and indicated that it is for emergency response information (this option may be used only if the telephone number applies to each hazardous material listed on the shipping paper).

Name or other unique identifier. Near the emergency response telephone number, the name of the offeror providing emergency response information or who is registered with an emergency response information (ERI) provider or their ERI service provider contract numberor other unique identifier must be entered. This is not required if the name or identifier is entered elsewhere on the shipping paper in a prominent, readily identifiable, and clearly visible manner to be easily and quickly found.

Exceptions. The emergency response telephone number requirements do not apply to hazardous material that is excepted from the shipping paper requirements or a material properly classified as an ORM-D. In addition, the emergency response telephone number requirements do not apply to:

Hazardous materials that are offered for transportation under the provisions applicable to limited quantities or excepted quantities;
Vehicles or containers containing lading that has been fumigated and display the FUMIGANT marking, unless other hazardous material is present;
Materials properly described under the following shipping names:
- Battery powered equipment
- Battery powered vehicle
- Carbon dioxide, solid
- Castor bean
- Castor flake
- Castor meal
- Castor pomace
- Consumer commodity
- Dry ice
- Engine, fuel cell, flammable gas powered
- Engine, fuel cell, flammable liquid powered
- Engines, internal combustion
- Fish meal, stabilized
- Fish scrap, stabilized
- Krill meal, PG III
- Machinery, internal combustion
- Machinery, fuel cell, flammable gas powered
- Machinery, fuel cell, flammable liquid powered
- Machinery, internal combustion, flammable gas powered
- Machinery, internal combustion, flammable liquid powered
- Refrigerating machine
- Vehicle, flammable gas powered
- Vehicle, flammable liquid powered
- Wheelchair, electric

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Emergency response telephone number

Scope

Regulatory citations

Key definitions

Summary of requirements