Relationship of the DOT`s regulations to the UN recommendations and international regulations

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:77987

Saltzman, S C ^[1]

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1. Saltzman Consulting Services, Inc., Philadelphia, PA (United States)

International, regional and national hazardous materials transportation regulations, including those of the US Department of Transportation, or DOT, are all being harmonized (i.e., made more uniform) by becoming fully based on the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Effective last October, DOT`s regulations, Title 49 of the US Code of Federal Regulations, started requiring UN classification, marking, labeling, placarding and documentation. Full use of UN packaging in the US will be required by October 1996. Canada and Australia already adopted the UN Recommendations ahead of DOT; Mexico is in the process of doing so right now, and international air and ocean transport codes have required UN packaging for hazardous materials since 1990. European regional hazardous materials transportation regulations will also be harmonized with UN by 1995. Understanding how the international system is structured and the process by which it works will help to understand why and how the DOT regulations are changing, as well as the occasional differences between regulations. More importantly, this understanding allows one to anticipate changes, and either prepare for them, or try to head them off if there is the belief that they will be harmful to one`s industry.

• OSTI ID: 77987
• Report Number(s): CONF-9406319--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
TRANSPORT REGULATIONS
UNITED NATIONS