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HAZARDOUS MATERIALS GLOSSARY

This glossary presents definitions of certain terms used in this section. A complete glossary of terms can be found in the federal Hazardous Materials Rules (49 CFR 171.8). You should have an up-to-date copy of these rules for your reference.

Sec. 171.8 Definitions and abbreviations.

Bulk Packaging

A packaging, other than a vessel or a barge, including a transport vehicle or freight container, in which hazardous materials are loaded with no intermediate form of containment and which has:

• (1) A maximum capacity greater than 450 L (119 gallons) as a receptacle for a liquid
• (2) A maximum net mass greater than 400 kg (882 pounds) and a maximum capacity greater than 450 L (119 gallons) as a receptacle for a solid; o
• (3) A water capacity greater than 454 kg (1000 pounds) as a receptacle for a gas as defined in Sec. 173.115

Cargo tank

A bulk packaging that:

• (1) Is a tank intended primarily for the carriage of liquids or gases and includes appurtenances, reinforcements, fittings, and closures (for “tank,”, see 49 CFR 178.345-1(c), 178.337-1, or 178.338-1, as applicable);
• (2) is permanently attached to or forms a part of a motor vehicle, or is not permanently attached to a motor vehicle but which, by reason of its size, construction or attachment to a motor vehicle, is loaded or unloaded without being removed from the motor vehicle; and
• (3) is not fabricated under a specification for cylinders, portable tanks, tank cars, or multi-unit tank car tanks.

Carrier

A person engaged in the transportation of passengers or property by:

• (1) Land or water as a common, contract, or private carrier, or
• (2) Civil aircraft

Consignee

The business or person to whom a shipment is delivered.

Division

A subdivision of a hazard class

EPA

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

FMCSR

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

Freight Container

A reusable container having a volume of 64 cubic feet or more, designed and constructed to permit being lifted with its contents intact and intended primarily for containment of packages (in unit form) during transportation.

Fuel Tank

A tank, other than a cargo tank, used to transport flammable or combustible liquid or compressed gas for the purpose of supplying fuel for propulsion of the transport vehicle to which it is attached, or for the operation of other equipment on the transport vehicle.

Gross Weight or Gross Mass

The weight of a packaging plus the weight of its contents.

Hazard Class

The category of hazard assigned to a hazardous material under the definitional criteria of Part 173 and the provisions of the Sec. 172.i01 Table. A material may meet the defining criteria for more than one hazard class but is assigned to only one hazard class.

Hazardous Materials

A substance or material that has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated. The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, and elevated temperature materials as defined in this section, materials designated as hazardous under the provisions of Sec. 172.101 and 172.102, and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and divisions In Part 173:

Hazardous substance means a material, including its mixtures and solutions, that:

• (1) Is listed in Appendix A to Sec. 172.101
• (2) Is in a quantity, in one package, that equals or exceeds the reportable quantity (RQ) listed in Appendix A to Sec. 172.101; and
• (3) When in a mixture or solution.
• (I) For radionuclides, conforms to paragraph 6 of Appendix A to Sec. 172.101
• (ii) For other than radionuclides, is in a concentration by weight that equals or exceeds the concentration corresponding to the RQ of the material, as shown in the following table:

Figure 9-1
Hazardous Materials Hazard Class/Division Table