View all text of Subpart B [§ 171.15 - § 171.21]
§ 171.16 - Detailed hazardous materials incident reports.
(a) General. Each person in physical possession of a hazardous material at the time that any of the following incidents occurs during transportation (including loading, unloading, and temporary storage) must submit a Hazardous Materials Incident Report on DOT Form F 5800.1 (01/2004) within 30 days of discovery of the incident:
(1) Any of the circumstances set forth in § 171.15(b);
(2) An unintentional release of a hazardous material or the discharge of any quantity of hazardous waste;
(3) A specification cargo tank with a capacity of 1,000 gallons or greater containing any hazardous material suffers structural damage to the lading retention system or damage that requires repair to a system intended to protect the lading retention system, even if there is no release of hazardous material;
(4) An undeclared hazardous material is discovered; or
(5) A fire, violent rupture, explosion or dangerous evolution of heat (i.e., an amount of heat sufficient to be dangerous to packaging or personal safety to include charring of packaging, melting of packaging, scorching of packaging, or other evidence) occurs as a direct result of a battery or battery-powered device.
(b) Providing and retaining copies of the report. Each person reporting under this section must—
(1) Submit a written Hazardous Materials Incident Report to the Information Systems Manager, PHH-60, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, East Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001, or an electronic Hazardous Material Incident Report to the Information System Manager, PHH-60, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, Washington, DC 20590-0001 at http://hazmat.dot.gov;
(2) For an incident involving transportation by aircraft, submit a written or electronic copy of the Hazardous Materials Incident Report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Regional Office nearest the location of the incident. The nearest FAA Regional Office may be located by calling the FAA Washington Operations Center at 202-267-3333 (any hour) or visiting FAA's website; and
(3) Retain a written or electronic copy of the Hazardous Materials Incident Report for a period of two years at the reporting person's principal place of business. If the written or electronic Hazardous Materials Incident Report is maintained at other than the reporting person's principal place of business, the report must be made available at the reporting person's principal place of business within 24 hours of a request for the report by an authorized representative or special agent of the Department of Transportation.
(c) Updating the incident report. A Hazardous Materials Incident Report must be updated within one year of the date of occurrence of the incident whenever:
(1) A death results from injury caused by a hazardous material;
(2) There was a misidentification of the hazardous material or package information on a prior incident report;
(3) Damage, loss or related cost that was not known when the initial incident report was filed becomes known; or
(4) Damage, loss, or related cost changes by $25,000 or more, or 10% of the prior total estimate, whichever is greater.
(d) Exceptions. Unless a telephone report is required under the provisions of § 171.15 of this part, the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section do not apply to the following incidents:
(1) A release of a minimal amount of material from—
(i) A vent, for materials for which venting is authorized;
(ii) The routine operation of a seal, pump, compressor, or valve; or
(iii) Connection or disconnection of loading or unloading lines, provided that the release does not result in property damage.
(2) An unintentional release of a hazardous material when:
(i) The material is—
(A) A limited quantity material packaged under authorized exceptions in the § 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table of this subchapter excluding Class 7 (radioactive) material; or
(B) A Packing Group III material in Class or Division 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, or 9;
(ii) The material is released from a package having a capacity of less than 20 liters (5.2 gallons) for liquids or less than 30 kg (66 pounds) for solids;
(iii) The total amount of material released is less than 20 liters (5.2 gallons) for liquids or less than 30 kg (66 pounds) for solids; and
(iv) The material is not—
(A) Offered for transportation or transported by aircraft;
(B) A hazardous waste; or
(C) An undeclared hazardous material;
(3) An undeclared hazardous material discovered in an air passenger's checked or carry-on baggage during the airport screening process. (For discrepancy reporting by carriers, see § 175.31 of this subchapter.)