If you ship hazardous materials, it is your responsibility to determine whether the product being shipped is subject to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). And if so, CHEMTREC can help...
According to US regulation 49 CFR § 172.604 (a), "A person who offers a hazardous material for transportation must provide an emergency response number, including the area code or international access code, for use in the event of an emergency involving the hazardous material."
As a result of this United States Department of Transportation regulation (49 CFR § 172.604), it is the shipper's responsibility to include an emergency contact telephone number, immediately accessible 24 hours per day, on all hazardous material shipping papers.
When listed as the "shipper" on the shipping documents for hazardous materials, manufacturers, distributors, freight forwarders, warehouses, terminals, third party logistics service providers (3PL's) are considered to be shippers subject to regulation and are responsible for providing this emergency contact number. CHEMTREC can provide that coverage on a 24/7 basis. Only companies registered with CHEMTREC are authorized to use the CHEMTREC emergency telephone number on their shipping documents and MSDSs. Those companies and entities choosing to include the CHEMTREC number on their shipping documents and that are not registered with CHEMTREC are not in compliance with federal regulations and are exposed to significant government fines and penalties.
Why CHEMTREC?
CHEMTREC: Compliance - Connectivity - Content
CHEMTREC is Compliance…
¨ Compliance with the US Department of Transportation’s requirement 49 CFR § 172.600-604 which requires your company to provide while-in-transit (we're here 24/7) phone coverage of your hazardous material shipments to allow for immediate response in the event of an emergency
¨ Coverage for all hazmat shipments, including radioactive materials, infectious substances, and biological waste
¨ One-Time Shipment option for companies who need coverage for DOT regulations on a one-time basis (see below)
¨ Access to 3rd party organizations that provide regulatory reporting services of spills and environmental releases to Federal, state and local government agencies
CHEMTREC is Connected…
¨ A 24/7 communications center staffed by trained and experienced emergency specialists who provide technical assistance and emergency information to first responders in mitigating hazmat shipping incidents
¨ A state-of-the-art telecommunications system that supports the virtual emergency response team, seamlessly linking on-scene responders with chemical experts, transportation companies, medical experts, and clean-up efforts
¨ Immediate access to thousands of chemical product specialists and hazardous materials experts through CHEMTREC’s database of 30,000 manufacturers, shippers, carriers, public organizations and private resources
¨ And all the contacts, access, and advantages that come with being a division of the American Chemistry Council
CHEMTREC is Content…
¨ Our Emergency Service Specialists have access to our expansive electronic library of over 5.3 million Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
¨ Consultation with industry medical experts and chemical toxicologists who provide advice and emergency medical treatment assistance to on-scene medical professionals treating victims of product exposure
¨ Chemical industry mutual aid networks, where partnering companies assist each other in the handling of certain hazmat shipping emergencies
What Makes CHEMTREC Different?
¨ Experience
CHEMTREC has been providing hazmat emergency mitigation services since 1971 and is widely recognized and acclaimed around the world. With over 250 years of collective hands-on emergency response staff experience, we offer unmatched expertise and we have earned the prized reputation for handling hazmat emergencies the right way - accurately, quickly and professionally.
¨ Resources
Because CHEMTREC provides a public service of the American Chemistry Council, we have access to the technical expertise of the major chemical manufacturers. We also work closely with carriers and others who are part of the supply chain.
¨ Information
Our expansive collection of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), information databases, emergency contacts, and medical and chemical specialists is unmatched.
¨ Technology
Hazardous materials emergency communication is our core business and it requires advanced computer and communications technology – we have it.
¨ Capability
Our communicators are trained emergency responders, and their ever-growing network of emergency resources include experts in chemistry and toxicology, medicine, shipping, and clean-up, representing manufacturers, shippers, carriers, emergency response teams and for-hire contractors.
¨ Multiple Language Support
Our communications center has access to language translation services for over 130 languages in the event that an incident is reported in a language other than English.
What Does It Cost To Register With CHEMTREC?
¨ CHEMTREC’s annual basic registration fee is $615. The basic registration includes coverage for up to 25 incidents per year. There is no additional charge for the number of shipping locations or the number of shipments (unless the alternative one-time shipment registration has been selected instead). There is, however, a $50 charge for each incident over 25.
¨ For those companies that might expect more than 25 incidents in the registration year, CHEMTREC offers the opportunity to purchase discounted tiered “incident bundles”, reducing the per-incident cost for those companies with higher incident numbers. If you think this option is of interest you, please contact customer service at (800) 262-8200.
¨ CHEMTREC also offers the opportunity for companies to provide CHEMTREC coverage for their affiliate organizations at a cost substantially lower than the basic registration fee. Affiliate registration is described below, for pricing information see the CHEMTREC Fee Schedule.
What Defines An Affiliate Registration?
¨ An existing CHEMTREC registrant may wish to share its registration with a company affiliated to itself or its products in the chain of commerce (e.g. a subsidiary, a distributor, a third party logistics company....). To do so, it must agree to act as the principal registrant for those affiliates, pay for their registrations, act as their administrative contact, submit the required product MSDS documentation and normally serve as the emergency contact for the products those affiliates ship. This is an affiliate registration.
¨ If a Registrant desires separate emergency contacts for an affiliate, a premium will be assessed for each affiliate that requires separate emergency contacts, on an annual basis. Affiliates must share administrative, billing, and MSDS contacts with the Registrant.
¨ If the exact name of a company that will appear as the designated "Shipper" on shipping documents is not already registered with CHEMTREC, then those shipping documents MUST NOT portray the CHEMTREC emergency response telephone number. If the name of a company that will appear as the "Shipper" on shipping documents is different from an existing registrant's name, then it must either be registered independently with CHEMTREC or as an affiliate of an existing registrant, to benefit from CHEMTREC coverage. It's the Shipper's name that counts. A registration (either individual or affiliate) is required for each one.
¨ Shipping locations, product lines and product names are not factors in determining the needed number of registrations - just the number of unique names that will appear as the "Shipper" on shipping documents. It should be understood that it is the Shipper's name which is given to CHEMTREC first - either by first responders at an incident, or by transportation authorities doing random regulatory compliance audits on shipping routes - and is critical in locating the right registration and incident mitigation data from our database as soon and as accurately as possible.
For The Purposes Of Billing, What Defines An Incident ?
¨ Within the CHEMTREC Fee Schedule, one of the billable elements associated with calls for CHEMTREC assistance deals with occurrences that become defined as an "incident". An incident is defined as follows:
¨ If the answer to ANY of these 5 questions is YES, then the occurrence is a billable incident – and will increase the incident count associated with the registrant's (e.g. shipper, manufacturer) charges. If the answer to ALL 5 questions is NO, then the occurrence does not increment the incident count for the registrant.
1 - Is there a fatality?
2 - Is there an exposure or injury?
3 - Is there an evacuation?
4 - Is the situation involving a hazardous material?
5 - Is the CHEMTREC phone # on the container or shipping documents?
Should The CHEMTREC Phone Number Be Included On Product Packaging?
¨ CHEMTREC registrants are authorized to place the CHEMTREC phone number on their shipping papers, as required by US hazardous materials transportation regulation 49CFR172.604. We DO NOT recommend that you also put the CHEMTREC number on the product's packaging, particularly if it is not accompanied by another toll-free number to be used for all other product inquiries that are not concerning a product spill, leak fire, exposure or accident.
¨ It has been our experience that if the CHEMTREC number appears on product packaging and because it is a toll-free number in North America, it wrongly suggests to consumers to call CHEMTREC regarding the product for reasons OTHER than an emergency incident (e.g. product re-order, complaints, order-tracking, etc.) and, of course, CHEMTREC will not be able to assist them. This mis-guidance leads to consumer frustration and delay that is in nobody's best interests. If the CHEMTREC number is included on the product packaging, it must be done as follows:
1 - The CHEMTREC number must be preceded by the following direction "For Chemical Emergency ONLY (spill, leak, fire, exposure or accident), call CHEMTREC at (insert here the CHEMTREC number given to you following your registration with CHEMTREC)."
2 - The next sentence must include the company's (preferably toll-free) phone number and invite calls related to all other inquiries about the product. For example, "For ALL other inquiries about this product, call (insert here your company's name and phone number)."
Please Note: Should the shipper choose to include the CHEMTREC number on product packaging, any calls placed to the CHEMTREC center shall be counted towards the tally of the shipper's incident count for billing purposes.