Regulations and Oversight
So, as you could clearly see there are numerous agencies involved when dealing with hazardous cargo.
Actually, there are so many of them, that agencies oversee and actually regulate the same hazardous cargo but from a different set of guidelines! It can really get mind-boggling, in fact, it makes one wonder how anything gets done!
So what do I mean?
Well, company ‘X’ makes chemical ‘B’ and they wish to transport it from Chicago to LA for shipment to China.
When they are still at the factory agencies such as the Department of Home Land Security (DLS), EPA, OSHA, and the state/local authorities will review it.
Then, OSHA and DOT will determine how it should be labeled. Sometimes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), or even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), will need documentation on it too!
Each state will need their assessments and determinations. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and perhaps the Department of Agriculture (USDA), will need their stamp of approval.
