Transporting Hazardous Materials

(Revised 8/31/2006)

The procedures given below apply to all materials that are considered to be hazardous by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).  Consult your CAT Safety Coordinator or the AES ES&H Coordinator if you are not sure whether the material in question is in this category.  Shipments of small quantities of some materials  may qualify for an exemption from DOT requirements.  Your home institution or CAT can help you determine whether your shipment qualifies.  The application of the DOT Small Quantity Exception to Hazardous Material Transport by APS Users on the ANL Site is explained in the APS Technical Update 23 (TUD-23).   For information about air shipments of cryopreserved biological samples in dry-shippers please refer to APS Technical Update 25 (TUD-25).  NOTE: A summary table of materials transport (including on-site transport of materials) can be found in APS Technical Update 28 (TUD-28). Radioactive materials that need to be shipped to/from the APS require special handling by the ANL Special Materials Group. Contact Bruce Glagola before shipping these materials. The address to be used for radioactive materials will be provided by the ANL Special Materials Group.

Incoming Shipments

When possible, obtain hazardous chemicals from the APS stockroom.  If you can't get what you need from the stockroom, keep the amount being shipped to the APS as small as possible.

Under no circumstances may you transport a nonexempt hazardous material to the APS in your own car or other personal vehicle.

To have a hazardous material shipped to your CAT's facilities at the APS, follow these steps:

  1. Arrange to have all shipping duties handled by persons with appropriate hazardous materials training.
  2. Provide the above individuals with all the information they need to prepare the shipment.
  3. Inform your CAT Safety Coordinator of the planned shipment and arrange for any special handling the shipment may require upon arrival.
  4. Advise the shipper to address the package to:

Recipient's Name
c/o Building 46, Hazardous Materials Receiving
APS/ANL
Sector No. ______
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 South Cass Ave.
Argonne, IL  60439

Also inform the shipper of any supplementary labeling information recommended by the Safety Coordinator to help ensure proper handling of the shipment upon arrival.

Outgoing Shipments

To ship a hazardous material from the the APS to an off-site location, follow these steps:

  1. Give the following information to your CAT Safety Coordinator:
    • Identity of the material
    • Amount of the material
    • All associated hazards

    The Safety Coordinator will then work with ANL to prepare an ANL shipping order and obtain appropriate packaging.

  2. Complete the process by working with the person designated by your CAT to be responsible for shipping arrangements.

Internal Shipments

Do not use your personal vehicle to move a hazardous material from building to building within ANL unless it qualifies for the small quantity exception in TUD-23.  Your APS Floor Coordinator will help you arrange all on-site moves.

Reference

DOT Hazardous Materials Training Course Workbook.  This link may be used as a reference and guide for shipping hazardous materials.  This link is to a workbook.  Reading this information DOES NOT mean that you are trained in Hazardous Materials Shipping.  If you have any questions about shipping materials to/from the ANL/APS please contact your institution's shipping department or your CAT.