Teamsters Hazardous Materials Transportation Training

The shipper is the company that sends hazmat from one place toanother. The shipper is responsible for: Assigning the proper shipping name, hazard class, I.D.number and packing group.[49 CFR §173] Using the correct packaging, labeling and marking.The Shipper’sResponsibility[49 CFR §173] Determining which placard(s) to use. Preparing the shipping papers. Certifying on the shipping paper that the shipment is incompliance with the regulations.[49 CFR §172.204] Only ship hazmat via a carrier that has a FMCSA safetypermit.[49 CFR §173.22(b)] Keeping copies of shipping papers. (hazardous waste: 3years; other hazmat: 2 years).[ 49 CFR §172.201(e)][49 CFR §172.500(a)][49 CFR §172.200]The carrier is the trucking company that transports hazmat. Thecarrier is responsible for: Using the proper placards. Refusing improper shipments. Reporting accidents and spills involving hazmat. Assuring that the carrier’s hazmat employees receive therequired training.[49 CFR §177.800(c)] Keeping copies of shipping papers. (hazardous waste: 3years; other hazmat: 1 year).[49 CFR §177.817(f)]Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation TrainingThe Carrier’sResponsibility[49 CFR §172.500(a)][49 CFR §177.801]11Chapter 2Rights and Responsibilities

The Driver’sResponsibilityWhen the driver is at thevehicle’s controls, theshipping papers must bewithin the driver’s reachand either visible to aperson entering thedriver’s compartment or ina holder inside the driver’sdoor. [49 CFR §397.11(a)]When the driver is not atthe vehicle’s controls, theshipping papers must be ina holder inside the driver’sdoor, or on the driver’sseat. [49 CFR §397.11(b)]The DOT hazmat rules arecomplicated, but you needto know them. Pleadingignorance will not preventyou from receiving acitation.The driver hauls the hazmat and is responsible for: Checking the shipping papers, labels and placards to makesure that they agree with each other. Verifying the shipper’s certification of compliance on theshipping papers.[49 CFR §177.817(b)] Refusing to load improper shipments of hazmat. Following all rules for transporting hazmat. Keeping the shipping papers in the proper, accessibleplace.[49 CFR §177.817(e)] Keeping the Emergency Response Guidebook (orequivalent information) in an accessible place. Ensuring that the shipping papers are within the driver’sreach when the driver is at the vehicle’s controls. Theshipping papers must also be visible to a person who isentering the driver’s compartment or in a holder inside thedriver’s door.[49CFR § 397.11(a)] Ensuring that the shipping papers are either in a holderinside the driver’s door or on the driver’s seat when thedriver is not at the vehicle’s controls. Ensuring the vehicle has the proper placards. Knowing where to find your company’s hazardousmaterials registration number.Some of these responsibilities are the same as those of thecarrier. The driver works for the carrier and is the one whoactually does many of the carrier’s duties.As a driver you have serious responsibilities. The DOThazmat rules may be complicated, but you need to know them.Pleading ignorance will not prevent you from receiving acitation.Chapter 2Rights and Responsibilities12Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training

If you are given a sealed vehicle to drive, or a container, DOTdoes not expect you to verify that the packaging, labeling, andloading inside the vehicle are correct. However, you are stillresponsible for making sure that the placards agree with theshipping papers and that the shipment is transported safely.The Driver’sResponsibilityIn some instances, the OSHA standards that cover workplacesafety may not apply to work sites and work activities that arecovered by the regulations of other federal agencies.About OSHAand DOTJurisdictionTransportation workers are employees and are entitled to a safeand healthy work place that complies with OSHA standards.But much of what they do is also covered by DOT regulations.Which agency should you call? It depends on the specific case.The Teamsters use these rules-of-thumb: Activities related to driving are generally covered byDOT. (Driver qualifications, shipping papers, placards,labels, driving, parking, reporting traffic accidents, and soforth). Non-driving activities are generally covered by OSHA.(Warehouse and dock work, use of personal protectiveequipment, right to safety and health information, and soforth).If your employer fails to comply with transportation safety regulations you may file a complaint to the US DOT– or with yourstate transportation agency. Put the complaint in writing. Keep a copy for yourself. Describe the hazard or unsafe condition. If you know the specific DOT regulation that’s being violated, include it in your complaint. If you are a unionmember, you may also call the IBT Safety and HealthDepartment for assistance. If you are represented by a union, contact your unionsteward or business agent.Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training13DOT SafetyComplaintsChapter 2Rights and Responsibilities

The Right toRefuseDangerousWorkAs an employee, you are expected to do your job the way yoursupervisor tells you. However, sometimes a situation may arisewhere you believe it is unsafe to do a task. For example, thetruck that you are assigned to drive has faulty brakes. Usuallyyou or your union steward will be able to resolve the problemby discussing it with the supervisor.The union contract and the law give you certain rights if you areever in the situation where you feel that you must refuse to dodangerous work. In order to preserve your rights make sure thatyou:1. Don’t act alone. Contact the union steward and talk withyour fellow workers.2. Point out the danger to the supervisor and to yourfellow workers.3. Make it clear that you are not insubordinate. Explainthat you are willing to do the job if it can be done safely.4. Offer to do other work.5. Don’t walk off the job. Don’t leave the site unlessordered to do so by the supervisor.If you are disciplined for refusing to do a hazardous job andyou are represented by a union, your union representative canhelp you file a grievance.You should also consider filing a complaint about yourdiscipline with OSHA and with the National Labor RelationsBoard.Chapter 2Rights and Responsibilities14Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training

Section 405 of the Surface Transportation Assistance Actprotects drivers, mechanics, and freight handlers fromdiscrimination or discharge for: Refusing to operate a vehicle if doing so would violate asafety regulation. Refusing to operate a vehicle if the employee has areasonable apprehension of serious injury, or injury to thepublic, because of the unsafe condition of the equipment. Complaining or testifying about violations of vehiclesafety requirements.The Right toRefuse toOperateUnsafeEquipment:Section 405If you feel that you must refuse to operate the vehicle, makesure that you ask your supervisor to correct the problem or giveyou another safe vehicle to use. Follow the proceduresdescribed on the previous page.If you believe that you have been penalized for refusing to drivean unsafe vehicle, or complaining about unsafe workingconditions, you can file a Section 405 complaint with OSHA.Any complaint must be filed within 180 days of the allegeddiscrimination.If you are represented by a union, you should notify your shopsteward or union business representative.DOE Order 440.1A says that workers at DOE facilities can“decline to perform an assigned task because of a reasonablebelief that, under the circumstances, the task poses an imminentrisk of death or serious bodily harm to that individual, coupledwith a reasonable belief that there is insufficient time to seekeffective redress through the normal hazard reporting andabatement procedures.”Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training15The Right toStop Work atDOE SitesChapter 2Rights and Responsibilities

Chapter3Health HazardsLearning ObjectivesChapter 3 discusses the health hazards associated with the transportationof hazardous materials.1. Identify at least five kinds of disease or damage that chemicals cancause to our bodies.2. Identify five routes of entry by which hazardous chemicals can getinto or on your body.3. Identify the difference between short-term and long-term healtheffects.4. Describe how to obtain more information about the health effects ofchemicals.Chapter 3Health Hazards16Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training

There are many ways that hazardous chemicals can affect yourhealth. You might get a rash, feel sick or become dizzy. Yourliver, lungs or other organs might be damaged. Your ability tohave children might be affected. You might get cancer. The effect depends on the chemical, how much you absorb, and yourown state of health.Chemicals andYour HealthAsphyxiants – chemicals that make it hard to breathe.Our bodies need a constant supply of oxygen to live. Our lungsabsorb this oxygen from the air.If a cylinder of argon gas (used in welding) leaks inside a trailer, the argon will take the place of oxygen in the air. Argon isnot a poison; but if there is a lot of argon in the air, there won’tbe enough oxygen to breathe. Any gas or vapor – if enough ofit escapes – can decrease the amount of oxygen in the air.Any gas or vapor can be anasphyxiant if enough isreleased to displace oxygenin the air.Some chemicals, if they get into our body, can prevent thebody from being able to use oxygen. For example, carbonmonoxide is a gas that is part of diesel exhaust. If we inhalecarbon monoxide, it will interfere with the way that our bloodcarries oxygen to different parts of our body. The effect is as ifwe weren’t breathing enough oxygen in the first place.Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training17Chapter 3Health Hazards

Chemicals andYour HealthPoisons – chemicals that can cause injury, illness, ordeath.Poisons are also called toxins or toxics. These attack targetorgans. Some affect the liver, others the nerves, kidneys,heart, blood, lungs or respiratory system.Many toxins have more than one target organ. For example, asolvent used to clean parts in the shop might cause liver damageand also affect the nerves.Corrosives – chemicals that eat away your skin.Even though acids andbases are both corrosives,they can react violentlywith each other, so we needto keep them apart.Chapter 3Health HazardsBattery acid, for example can burn your skin. If you get it inyour eye it can cause permanent damage, includingblindness.There are two types of corrosives: acids, like the sulfuric acidin a battery; and bases, like ammonia or lye. Both acids andbases can corrode and burn your skin or damage your eyes.Acids may react violently with bases. Never mix an acid and abase. (For example, never mix bleach and ammonia.)18Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training

In order for a chemical to affect your health, it has to get into oron your body. There are several different routes of entry. It isimportant for you to know the routes of entry for chemicals,because this will help you to understand how to keep hazardouschemicals from getting into or on your body.Routes ofEntry1. Inhalation is breathing in a hazardous material.2. Skin or eye contact is when a hazardous material gets onyour skin or in your eye.3. Skin absorption is when a hazardous material gets onyour skin and soaks through. It then enters the blood andis carried to other parts of your body.4. Ingestion is when you accidentally swallow a material.This might happen if the material gets on your hands, andthen on the sandwich you eat.5. Injection is when a sharp object punctures your skin, anda chemical or infectious agent enters.Chemicals may enter the body by more than one route of entry.For example, if you handle a leaking container of solvent it canirritate your skin. It can also be absorbed, into your blood andreach your liver or other organs. It can also evaporate and beinhaled. The solvent affects you by skin contact, skinabsorption, and inhalation.Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training19Chapter 3Health Hazards

Short Termand LongTerm EffectsAcute short termChronic long termSome chemicals cause effects that occur immediately. Forexample, if acid gets in your eye, it causes a painful burnimmediately. If you inhale ammonia vapor, you cough and feelirritation in your nose and airways right away. This is called ashort-term effect or acute effect.If you breathe small amounts of benzene, you might not feelany acute effect. But if you inhale benzene continuously yearafter year, you increase your chances of getting blood cancer.This is a long-term effect or chronic effect.The same chemical can cause both acute and chronic effects.For example, if you inhale toluene you can get dizzy or “high”,and feel respiratory irritation. Toluene can also dry and irritatethe skin. These are acute effects. However, if you are exposedagain and again, over a period of time, toluene will damageyour liver and destroy brain cells. These are chronic effects.We usually notice acute effects such as a burn or irritation.These effects can warn us to take precautions.Unfortunately, you usually won’t notice chronic effects until it’stoo late because they happen slowly and it takes a long time todevelop symptoms.You have to learn the chronic effects of the chemicals you workwith. Then you will know what precautions to take, even if thematerials don’t cause any immediate effects.Chapter 3Health Hazards20Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training

Some hazardous materials are radioactive. This means thatthey give off an invisible form of energy called IonizingRadiation that can cause adverse health effects. The healtheffects we’re most worried about with ionizing radiation are theincreased risk of cancer and the increased risk of e materials can be solids, liquids or gasses. Thesematerials can get into or on our bodies by the same routes ofentry we’ve discussed. If they get into or on our bodies, then wewill be exposed to the radiation they give off.Some materials give off a form of ionizing radiation that canpass right through the container or package. This type ofradiation is called Gamma Radiation. It can also pass throughour bodies, like an x-ray- only gamma radiation is muchstronger.Materials that give off gamma radiation can be hazardouseven if the material doesn’t get into or on your body. If youare just near a package or container of these materials youmight be exposed to ionizing radiation.This is the reason there are special packaging, loading andshielding requirements for radioactive materials that give offgamma radiation. Even if you have no contact with the material,the radiation it gives off might be harmful. This is why youneed special training to transport radioactive material.Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training21Chapter 3Health Hazards

Chapter4Vehicle SafetyLearning ObjectivesChapter 4 discusses the vehicle safety and cargo securementrequirements in the DOT regulations.1. Identify required components of a driver’s pre-trip inspection.[49 CFR §392.7]2.Describe required emergency equipment on a commercial motorvehicle.[49 CFR §392.8]3. Describe how and when to conduct a cargo securement inspection.[49 CFR §392.9]4. Identify the required components of a driver’s post-trip inspectionand Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR).[49 CFR §392.7 & 49 CFR §396.11]Chapter 4Vehicle Safety22Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training

An important part of hazardous materials safety for drivers isthe pre-trip inspection. Before operating a commercial motorvehicle, the driver is required to inspect the vehicle and reviewthe previous driver vehicle inspection report to ensure that thevehicle is in safe operating condition. If defects or deficienciesare found and documented by the previous driver, drivers areprohibited from operating those vehicles until the motor carrierrepairs the documented deficiencies. (See Chapter 2, Rightsand Responsibilities).A pre-trip inspection must cover all of the following partsand accessories. Service brakes, including trailer brake connections. Parking (hand) brake. Steering mechanism. Lighting devices and reflectors. Tires. Horn. Windshield wiper or wipers. Rear-vision mirror or mirrors. Coupling devices.Pre-TripInspectionThe motor carrier isresponsible for ensuringthat all of the defects thatwere documented by thedriver are repaired priorto allowing the vehicle tobe operated.An ounce of prevention isworth a pound of cure.[49 CFR §392.7]Teamsters Hazardous MaterialsTransportation Training23Chapter 4Vehicle Safety

EmergencyEquipmentAny vehicle transportinghazardous material mustcarry a fire extinguisherwith a UL rating of 10 B:Cor higher.[49 CFR §393.95(a)]The driver of a commercial motor vehicle has to be satisfiedthat the required vehicle emergency equipment is in place andfunctioning properly. The driver must also use the vehiclesafety equipment when necessary.[49 CFR §392.9]Vehicle emergency equipment includes:1. Fire extinguishers.2. Spare fuses.You should never useflame producing devices,fuses, or flares if you arecarrying combustible,flammable, explosive, oroxygen.CargoSecurementInspection3. Warning devices for stopped vehicles. 3 reflective warning triangles. Flame producing devices, fuses, and liquid-burningflares.[49 CFR §393.95]Before taki

4. Hazmat security awareness training: General security training (this course). 5. In-depth hazmat security training: Specific training that your employer must provide about the procedures in the companies written hazmat security plan. The material in this manual provides general awareness training and hazmat security awareness training.