49 CFR & Dot Regulations

CFR Analysis The author of this report has been asked to offer an analysis and summary of the importance and need for what is known as 49 CFR. Of course, 49 CFR is the section of the United States code that pertains to the regulation of the transportation and labeling of hazardous substances. The author of this report is to offer why this regulation is an important aspect of day-to-day operations. Finally, the author will answer the question of what would happen without the regulation being in place.

While many deem some laws to be a waste of time and money to comply with, 49 CFR is an absolutely important law and should not be done away with in any form. As noted in the introduction, 49 CFR is short-hand for the section of the United States Code of Regulations that pertains to the domestic transportation of hazardous materials for all modes of transportation. This refers to materials being transported to, from and within the United States. There are a total of nine volumes within the 49 CFR code.

The volumes containing parts one hundred through one hundred eighty-five for the transportation of any hazardous material is overseen by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. That agency is part of the broader United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) (Berlin Dangerous Goods, 2015). The 49 CFR section "addresses key protocols for preparing, shipping, and handling dangerous goods" (Berlin Dangerous Goods, 2015).

The key components of the code section include the description of hazardous materials by class, the amount of hazardous materials permitted in certain primary containers, the types of packages and packaging required to safely transport hazardous materials, the testing requirements needed to reach specific performance standards, the documentation required when shipping hazardous materials, the markings/labels required on packaging and the placards required by the carrier and the training/safety plan requirements that pertain to the same (Berlin Dangerous Goods, 2015; DOT, 2015) These regulations are important to day-to-day operations for a number of reasons.

First, everyone with an employer that transports these goods needs to be trained and made aware of what is required when transporting these goods and materials. Indeed, the dangers of transporting these goods are very real and people can literally die or be scarred for life if the proper rules are not followed. Second, the labeling and such makes it clear to everyone around the materials what is in the containers and thus what proper protocols should or must be followed.

Third, strangers and passersby will know that there are hazardous materials, even if they do not know precisely what those goods are. Finally, hazardous material (HAZMAT) crews will know right away what is in a container or payload if there is an accident or the threat of loss of human life or property. As far as what would happen without the protocols, one example would be the antithesis of what was just mentioned.

If a vat has hydrochloric acid or gasoline and it is not immediately clear to responding HAZMAT crews that this is the case, their.