Hazardous Materials Table (HMT)

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Go to Chapter 4 - Learning Unit 3

Lesson Goal:

Lesson Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson the student will be able to:

Recommended Time:

Materials Required:

Standard:

Hazardous Materials Table (HMT) Column 1

Symbols

ACTION:

In your Student Guide you should be open to Chapter 4 Hazardous Materials Table (HMT). We will begin on page 4-9, paragraph III "The Hazardous Materials Table" subparagraph C "Column 1 Symbols".

DISCUSSION 1:

The materials listed in the HMT are designated as Hazardous Materials (HazMat) for the purpose of transportation by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). (Remember the definition as discussed in Chapter 3 Definitions and Hazard Classes?) Every time you prepare a shipment of HazMat for transportation you must begin by going to the HMT. The table is found in 49 CFR 172.101.

ACTION:

Now open your copy of 49 CFR to the HMT. Any page in the table will do for now. We just want to look over the organization of the table at this time. I’ll wait while you get your book and locate the HMT.

DISCUSSION 2:

Column 1 has six symbols that provide additional information about the entries listed in column 2, etc. Lets take each symbol individually and look at its meaning. We may also practice looking up materials marked with each symbol and see how it effects shipping that material.

+

The first symbol is the plus (+) symbol. When it is found in column 1 of the HMT it fixes the proper shipping name, hazard class and packing group of the material whose name it is adjacent to, even if the material does not actually meet the DOT definition for that class, packing group or any other hazard class. When in mixture or solution where the hazard to humans is significantly different, it may be described using an appropriate alternate name. But again be careful because you really need to know exactly what the hazards are before using alternate names for a product with a + symbol in column 1 of the HMT.

*(Just a note that, while I am showing each symbol in red, they will actually be in black in your table. I am just using red for emphasis).

PRACTICE 2:

In your table look up "Magnesium arsenate" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 2:

DISCUSSION 3:

We will discuss the A and W together since the have similar modal purposes.

A

The A symbol in column 1 means that the material listed next to it is subject to this subchapter (that means the entire HMT) only if it is offered or intended for transportation by air. What that all means is that if you are going to transport this material by highway, rail, or vessel (water) it is not regulated as a HazMat. But if you are shipping it by air that it is fully regulated as a HazMat.

W

The W symbol in column 1 means that the material listed next to it is subject to this subchapter (that means the entire HMT) only if it is offered or intended for transportation by vessel (water). What that all means is that if you are going to transport this material by highway, rail, or air it is not regulated as a HazMat. But if you are shipping it by vessel (water) that it is fully regulated as a HazMat.

But there is a kicker. If the material you plan to transport is a Hazardous Substance or a Hazardous Waste then it is regulated fully as a HazMat in all modes of transportation regardless of the A or W symbol in column 1.

PRACTICE 3a:

In your table look up "Acetaldehyde ammonia" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 3a:

PRACTICE 3b:

In your table look up "Fish meal, stabilized" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 3b:

PRACTICE 3c:

In your table look up "Castor beans" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 3c:

REMEMBER:

If the material you plan to transport is a Hazardous Substance or a Hazardous Waste then it is regulated fully as a HazMat in all modes of transportation regardless of the A and/or W symbol in column 1.

DISCUSSION 4:

We will discuss the D and I together since the have similar, but mutually exclusive, purposes.

D

The D symbol in column 1 means that the Proper Shipping Name listed next to it is appropriate for domestic transportation but may be inappropriate for international transportation.

PRACTICE 4:

In your table look up "Hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solutions, with less than 5% hydrogen cyanide" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 4:

DISCUSSION 5:

An alternate Proper Shipping Name may be selected when domestic or international transportation is involved. What you would be looking for is a Proper Shipping Name that is appropriate for the material and accepted in both international and domestic transportation. Often it will be a generic nos Proper Shipping Name, but not always.

PRACTICE 5a:

In your table look up "Ferrous chloride, solid" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 5a:

PRACTICE 5b:

Now lets look up "Hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solutions, with less than 5% hydrogen cyanide" again.

RESULT 5b:

DISCUSSION 6:

I

The I symbol in column 1 means that the Proper Shipping Name listed next to it is appropriate for international transportation. It may also be used for domestic transportation.

PRACTICE 6:

In your table look up "Sulfur" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 6:

DISCUSSION 7:

An alternate Proper Shipping Name may be selected when only domestic transportation is involved. What you would be looking for is a Proper Shipping Name that is appropriate for the material and accepted for domestic transportation. It may be a generic nos Proper Shipping Name, but not always.

PRACTICE 7a:

In your table look up "Sulfur" again and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 7a:

PRACTICE 7b:

Now look up "Carbon, animal or vegetable origin" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 7b:

DISCUSSION 8:

G

The G symbol in column 1 means that the Proper Shipping Name listed next to it requires technical names be entered in parentheses in association with the basic description.We discussed technical names briefly when we were going over column 2. Most often it is a generic nos that will require a technical name.

PRACTICE 8:

In your table look up "Flammable liquid, nos" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 8:

DISCUSSION 9:

If the material you plan to transport is two HazMats mixed together, you would use the most appropriate nos or generic Proper Shipping Name. For example, two types of alcohol or an alcohol type not listed by name in table would be "Alcohol nos", not "Flammable liquid, nos".

PRACTICE 9:

In your table look up "Alcohols, nos" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 9:

DISCUSSION 10:

If your product was a combination of "Gasoline & Diesel", that would be "Petroleum distillates, nos", not "flammable liquid, nos" or "combustible liquid, nos", because both are petroleum distillates.

PRACTICE 10:

In your table look up "Petroleum distillates, nos" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 10:

DISCUSSION 11:

Now, if your material was "Gasoline" and "Methanol" mixed together it would be "Flammable liquid, nos" and not "Petroleum distillates, nos", because "Methanol" is not a petroleum distillate.

PRACTICE 11:

So in your table look up "Flammable liquid, nos" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 11:

DISCUSSION 12:

The bottom line is you must use the most appropriate generic or nos Proper Shipping Name and in some cases technical names may be required with generic or nos Proper Shipping Names. Some examples might be: "Flammable Liquid, nos, (gasoline, methanol)" or; "Flammable liquid, toxic, nos (gasoline, parathion)".

[No practice for this discussion]

DISCUSSION 13:

In some cases you may find more than one symbol in column 1. In those cases you must follow the meaning of all the symbols.

PRACTICE 13a:

So in your table look up "Cotton" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 13a:

PRACTICE 13b:

Now in your table look up "Cotton, wet" and tell me what, if any, symbol you find in column 1.

RESULT 13b:

DISCUSSION 14:

Before we go on to the other columns in the HMT I encourage you to look at some of the stuff listed in column 2 and then check column 1 for other details about the material. Then consider how you might be regulated if you were to ship such a material by the various modes, internationally or domestically, alternate names, generic or nos descriptions and technical names. Have fun and I will see you again when we look at column 3.

[No practice for this discussion]

Now go on to the next lesson in which we will discuss "Column 3 - Hazard Class or Division" of the Hazardous Materials Table (HMT) Chapter 4 - Learning Unit 3

You should find the + symbol so that material will be described as "Magnesium arsenate, 6.1, PGII" even if it does not meet the DOT definition for that class and/or packing group. The bottom line with materials with a + in column is write it exactly as you found it in the table and don't be creative.

You should find the A symbol so that material is regulated as a HazMat only if you are going to transport it by air. If you are going to transport it by highway, rail, or vessel it is not a HazMat.

You should find the W symbol so that material is regulated as a HazMat only if you are going to transport it by vessel. If you are going to transport it by highway, rail, or air it is not a HazMat.

You should find both the A & W symbols so that material is regulated as a HazMat only if you are going to transport it by air or vessel. If you are going to transport it by highway, or rail, it is not a HazMat.

You should find the D symbol in column 1. Therefore, the Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 is appropriate for domestic transportation only. If you are going to ship it internationally you would have to find another Proper Shipping Name to use. We will discuss that aspect next.

You should find the D symbol in column 1. Therefore, the Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 is appropriate for domestic transportation only. If you are going to ship it internationally you would have to find another Proper Shipping Name to use. In this case it would be most appropriate to use "Corrosive solid, nos". Note that both of these have the same four digit number in column 4 but one has NA and the other UN. That's a pretty good clue that we did this right.

You should still find the D symbol in column 1. Therefore, the Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 is appropriate for domestic transportation only. If you are going to ship it internationally you would have to find another Proper Shipping Name to use. If you look immediately above that entry you will find "Hydrocyanic acid, aqueous solutions, with not more than 20% hydrogen cyanide". Our material with "less than 5% hydrogen cyanide" also meets this description and there is no symbol in column 1 so this name would be appropriate for domestic and international transportation.

You should find two "Sulfer" entries, one with the I and one with the D symbol in column 1. We are looking at the one with the I entry. Referring to the I entry, the Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 is appropriate for international transportation. If you are going to ship it only domestically you could use the same Proper Shipping Name or you could select an alternate Proper Shipping Name. But only for domestic transportation. We will discuss that aspect next.

You should find two "Sulfer" entries, one with the I and one with the D symbol in column 1. We will look at the one with the I entry first. Referring to the I entry, the Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 is appropriate for international transportation. If you are going to ship it only domestically you could use the same Proper Shipping Name or you could select an alternate Proper Shipping Name. But only for domestic transportation. Immediately above the I entry is a D entry. That would be appropriate for domestic transportation only. But, YIPES, they both have the same Proper Shipping Name. What do you do now? If you look in column 3 you will find they have different hazard classes (4.1 & 9). If you look in column 4 you will find they have the same four digit number but one is NA and the other is UN. So sometimes it is the description or classification that differs in international and domestic transportation.

You should find an I symbol in column 1. That means the Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 is appropriate for international transportation. If you are going to ship it only domestically you could use the same Proper Shipping Name or you could select an alternate Proper Shipping Name. But only for domestic transportation. There is no obvious alternate near by so what do you do now? You might consider "Flammable solid, organic, nos" (both animals and vegetables are organic). That would not be a bad choice. But might I suggest "Charcoal". It has the same hazard class (4.2) and four digit number (1361) just that it is proceeded by NA instead of UN.

You should find an G symbol in column 1. That means that this is a Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 but that it requires technical names in parentheses in association with the basic description.

You should find no symbol in column 1. That means that this is a Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 but that it does not require technical names in parentheses in association with the basic description.

You should find no symbol in column 1. That means that this is a Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 but that it does not require technical names in parentheses in association with the basic description.

You should find an G symbol in column 1. That means that this is a Proper Shipping Name listed in column 2 but that it requires technical names in parentheses in association with the basic description. Therefore, the Proper Shipping Name would be "Flammable liquid, nos (gasoline, methanol)" or "Flammable liquid, nos (contains gasoline, methanol)" or "Flammable liquid, nos (containing gasoline, methanol)".

I am sure you are surprised to find out cotton is a HazMat, but it is. You should find a D & W symbol in column 1. That means that the name listed in column 2 is a Proper Shipping Name for domestic transportation only and is only regulated if transported by vessel. But if it is a hazardous waste or hazardous substance it is regulated domestically in all modes.

You should find an A, I, & W symbol in column 1. That means that the name listed in column 2 is a Proper Shipping Name for international transportation but may be used in domestic transportation. It is regulated as a HazMat in both Air and Water mode, but not by highway or rail. But if it is a hazardous waste or hazardous substance it is regulated domestically in all modes.