Updated book gives hazmat guidance

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has released the 2012 version of its “Emergency Response Guidebook.”

The guidebook is designed to help first responders “deal with hazmat accidents during the critical first 30 minutes,” said a May 30 DOT press release.

PHMSA will distribute more than 2 million copies of the guidebook to firefighters, emergency medical technicians and law enforcement officers nationwide.

The guidebook contains an indexed list of dangerous goods and the associated identification numbers, the hazards posed and recommended safety precautions.

“For example, if emergency responders arrive at the scene of an overturned tractor trailer displaying a DOT hazmat placard, they would use the guide to identify the material associated with the placard and how to respond accordingly,” the DOT said.

The guidebook also includes new tables such as Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances for large spills involving six common toxic gases.

Transport Canada helped prepare the guidebook, which is updated every four years.

The guidebook is available free to public safety agencies in all states. Print copies are available for sale to the general public.

For more information on the guidebook and how to get it, go to http://bit.ly/MhfCVF. You can download a 392-page PDF of the guidebook for free at this address.

—Wesley Loy