Even though you may be purchasing a drum that meets the United Nations criteria for shipping hazardous materials, the proper closure of the drum is the final and most important part of the regulation. In fact, the US Code of Federal Regulations requires that packaging manufacturers give current written instruction to the fillers about the proper closure procedure. For closed head drums, this would reference torque required when sealing the plugs, and for open head drums, it is a combination of closure torque and ring gap distance. While every Skolnik order includes closure instructions, call us if you would like to receive an additional instruction sheet for your record keeping.
Drum It Up
STEEL DRUM INDUSTRY NEWS, TRENDS AND ISSUES
Archive for February, 2004
Dot Steps Up Inspections Of Container Chassis
The DOT is going to begin safety inspections of truck container chassis. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced recently that DOT would launch a safety inspection program for intermodal container chassis. The inspection program will provide oversight to ensure that the trailer beds used by truckers to haul cargo containers are safe. Intermodal container chassis are the flat trailer beds that cargo containers are loaded onto when being transported by truck. They are used to transport more than $450 million in cargo value entering and leaving the United States annually. "Every day millions of dollars worth of cargo are transferred from ships and rail to trailer beds and hauled away by trucks," said Secretary Mineta. "It is essential that we have a full and complete safety program focused on the trailer beds used to haul cargo containers."
Changes In Place For Incident Reporting
On December 3, 2003, the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) published the final rule in Docket No. RSPA-99-5013 (HM-229). This ruling authorized revisions to both Incident Reporting and the Incident Reporting Form. Compliance with the new rule is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2004. Under the current regulations, Title 49, CFR 171.15 and 171.16, the responsibility for making telephonic notification and subsequently submitting a Hazardous Materials Incident Report is the sole responsibility of the carrier. With the adoption of HM-229 any reportable incident that occurs while the material is in transportation in commerce is now the responsibility of the individual in physical possession of the material during the time of the incident. DOT had previously defined "transportation" as “the movement of property and loading, unloading, or storage incidental to the movement.‘’ Based upon that definition incidents that occur during any of those phases are considered part of transportation and therefore subject to the reporting requirements. In HM-229, the responsibility for reporting incidents moves it from the carrier to the individual who is in possession of the material at the time of the incident. To view the final rule and HM-229 in its entirety please visit: http://hazmat.dot.gov/68fr-67745.pdf.
