hazardous materials transportation

How to use automation for improved safety shipping hazardous materials

July 29, 2021

Requests to ship hazardous and perishable goods across greater distances are increasing in frequency. With the surge of globalization, companies must contend with how to get fragile or potentially dangerous items to suppliers and end-users a world away.

3 potential risks when transporting hazardous materials by rail

Tony Scarrow

May 20, 2021

Whether accidental or non-accidental, hazmat leaks and spills can be catastrophic, but emergency response kits provide a needed safety net for first responders

Digitization is the key to transporting hazardous goods in a COVID-19 world

David Cahn

July 14, 2020

Global chemical companies are helping to fight the virus pandemic by stepping up production of hand sanitizers, polymers for personal protective equipment, bleach for disinfectants, and cleaning products.

An NTSB Safety Compass blog post

Most Wanted List progress report: Rail safety

Robert L. Sumwalt

March 28, 2018

On November 14, 2017, the day before our Most Wanted List (MWL) progress meeting, we concluded our investigation into the April 2016 Amtrak train derailment in Chester, Pennsylvania. As I offer the closing words of this blog series highlighting the progress made to address issues on our list, the NTSB is presently investigating the December 2017 Amtrak train derailment in DuPont, Washington, and the February 2018 Amtrak train and CSX freight train collision near Cayce, South Carolina.

Community groups get help with pipeline safety

October 14, 2016

A new grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has begun fulfilling its mission of providing funding to help communities improve their response to hazardous materials transportation incidents.

Feds collect record level of penalties for rail safety violations

January 21, 2016

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) says stepped-up enforcement of railroad safety regulations led to the highest-ever civil penalty collection rate in the agency’s 50-year history.

More flying hazmat violations come to light

December 24, 2014

In the most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) crackdown on companies who violate hazardous materials regulations, seven U.S. companies are facing heavy fines for failing to label their hazmat shipments – and to train their employees on how to safely ship hazmat and how to respond if something goes wrong with it.

Train derails in Penn., spilling thousands of gallons of oil

Company official says spill is “contained”

February 14, 2014

Less than two months after a similar incident in North Dakota, a train carrying crude oil derailed yesterday in Pennsylvania, spilling an estimated 3-4,000 gallons of oil. Twenty-one tank cars of the 120-car Norfolk Southern Corp. train left the tracks at a turn near the Kiskiminetas River in Vandergrift, a small town in western Pennsylvania.

Type of tank car in Canadian derailment may have made accident worse

NTSB identified “inadequate design” after 2009 derailment

July 15, 2013

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that the type of tank car involved in the recent Canadian train derailment and inferno be retrofitted or phased out of use because it was unsafe, according to Board records.