Hazardous materials transport

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

PHMSA’s hazardous materials rules address classification, packaging, marking, documentation and transport conditions. Transport compliance does not by itself establish a battery or chemical’s fitness for every end use.

Read the source in its own scope

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is represented in this collection through the specific publications listed below. Begin with the product, activity and responsible party identified by the source. A reference to an agency does not establish that every product in an industry follows the same pathway. Scope, definitions, exceptions and the status of an adopted technical document can change the conclusion.

Connect the publication to the product decision

Use the original publication to establish the requirement, then connect it to the actual model, configuration, process or transaction. Keep source dates separate from effective and compliance dates. Where several agencies are relevant, preserve a distinct conclusion for each framework. A test report, registration, approval, certification and voluntary program claim should be assessed for the precise object and conditions they cover.

3 source profiles

Publications and requirements in this collection

Federal regulationPHMSA

Hazardous Materials Employee Training and Records

49 CFR Part 172 Subpart H, especially 172.704

Hazardous materials training is organized around the functions an employee performs. The federal framework includes general awareness, function-specific instruction, safety and security awareness, with additional security-plan training where applicable. An external course certificate can support the record, but the employer must ensure that the complete training and testing obligations are met for the employee's actual duties.

Batteries & Dangerous Goods

Federal regulationPHMSA

Lithium Cell and Battery Transport Requirements

49 CFR 173.185; referenced UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, subsection 38.3

Lithium battery transport requirements address the tested cell or battery design and the shipment prepared for carriage. U.S. rules reference the United Nations subsection 38.3 test framework; this is not a standard originally developed by the U.S. government. A test summary supports design traceability, while packaging, short-circuit protection, marks, documents and transport-mode conditions require a separate shipment assessment.

Batteries & Dangerous Goods

Federal regulationPHMSA

Performance-Oriented Hazardous Materials Packaging

49 CFR 178.2; Part 178 Subparts L and M; shipper responsibilities under 173.22

A UN specification marking describes a packaging's certified design and performance scope. It does not authorize every hazardous material, quantity or closure arrangement. Packaging manufacturers establish design conformity; shippers select a permitted packaging and prepare it correctly for the contents and mode. Closure instructions and the tested configuration connect the manufactured package to its actual protective performance in transport.

Batteries & Dangerous Goods