More accurate placarding
The October 1, 1986, effective date of the new hazardous materials regulation concerning the use of “residue” placards has been changed to March 3, 1987. Tank cars that still have to be cleaned after carrying hazardous materials must have a “residue” placard, not an “empty” placard, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation.
The regulation, implemented at the suggestion of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), applies to all classes of hazardous materials, corrosives, flammable liquids, poisonous gases, etc. Lee Jackson, Office of Hazardous Materials Transportation and the writer of the regulation, said that the potential hazards presented by tank cars that still have to be purged of residue are made more recognizable by this ruling.
According to a DOT spokesman, “residue” should appear under the placard’s identification number. However, it is likely that just as the word “empty” replaces the identification number on a placard that otherwise has the chemical’s colors and markings, so too will the word “residue.”
This ruling applies only to tank cars. At presstime, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had no plans to impose a similar regulation on hazardous material storage containers.
