Hazmat Transportation Incident Reporting
DOT hazardous materials incident reporting procedure covering which events during transportation, loading, unloading, and temporary storage trigger the immediate telephone notice to the National Response Center within 12 hours, the information the caller must have ready, the incidents that require a detailed written report on DOT Form F 5800.1 within 30 days of discovery, who files as the person in physical possession, and the two year record retention duty.
- Audience
- The hazmat compliance owner, shipping and receiving supervisors, dock leads who load and unload hazardous materials freight, and the manager on duty for any shift during which a hazmat release or incident could occur
- Review cycle
- annual
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-17
- Revision
- 1
What is in the procedure
8 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.
- 01
Purpose
FixedThis procedure ensures the facility meets its federal reporting duties under 49 CFR 171.15 and 171.16 when a hazardous material is released or a reportable incident occurs in the course of transportation, including...
- 02
Scope
CustomizedThis procedure applies whenever a release or reportable incident involves a hazardous material that is in the course of transportation in commerce, which under 49 CFR 171.15 and 171.16 includes loading, unloading, and...
- 03
Responsibilities
CustomizedThe manager on duty makes the telephone notice to the National Response Center when a triggering event occurs, without waiting for the compliance owner if that person cannot be reached quickly, because the 12 hour...
- 04
Procedure: Immediate Telephone Notice to the National Response Center
Fixed1. Handle the emergency first under the Hazardous Material Spill Response SOP: protect people, evacuate if required, and contain the release if trained employees can do so safely.
- 05
Procedure: Written Report on DOT Form F 5800.1
Customized1. The written report triggers are broader than the telephone triggers.
- 06
Procedure: Records and Retention
CustomizedThe facility retains, for each incident: the NRC call record with the incident report number, call time, and caller name; the submitted DOT Form F 5800.1 and any updates; the exception determination for any release...
- 07
Coordination with Facility Emergency and Investigation Procedures
FixedThree procedures run when hazmat is released at this facility, and each has its own job.
- 08
References
Fixed49 CFR 171.15 Immediate notice of certain hazardous materials incidents.
Regulatory references
Hazmat Transportation Incident Reporting: 49 CFR 171.15(a)
Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.
| Standard | Title | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 49 CFR 171.15(a) | Immediate notice of certain hazardous materials incidents: general | As soon as practical but no later than 12 hours after the occurrence of a reportable incident, each person in physical possession of the hazardous material must provide notice by telephone to the National Response Center (NRC) on 800-424-8802 (toll free) or 202-267-2675 (toll call). Each notice must include: the name of the reporter; the name and address of the person represented by the reporter; a phone number where the reporter can be contacted; the date, time, and location of the incident; the extent of injury, if any; the class or division, proper shipping name, and quantity of hazardous materials involved, if that information is available; and the type of incident and nature of hazardous material involvement and whether a continuing danger to life exists at the scene. |
| 49 CFR 171.15(b) | Immediate notice of certain hazardous materials incidents: reportable incident | A telephone report is required whenever any of the following occurs during the course of transportation in commerce, including loading, unloading, and temporary storage: as a direct result of a hazardous material, a person is killed, a person receives an injury requiring admittance to a hospital, the general public is evacuated for one hour or more, a major transportation artery or facility is closed or shut down for one hour or more, or the operational flight pattern or routine of an aircraft is altered; fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected radioactive contamination occurs involving a radioactive material; fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected contamination occurs involving an infectious substance other than a regulated medical waste; a release of a marine pollutant occurs in a quantity exceeding 450 L (119 gallons) for a liquid or 400 kg (882 pounds) for a solid; a situation exists of such a nature, for example a continuing danger to life at the scene, that in the judgment of the person in possession of the hazardous material it should be reported to the NRC even though it does not meet the other criteria; or, during transportation by aircraft, a fire, violent rupture, explosion, or dangerous evolution of heat occurs as a direct result of a battery or battery-powered device. |
| 49 CFR 171.15(c) | Immediate notice of certain hazardous materials incidents: written report | Each person making a telephone report under 49 CFR 171.15 must also make the detailed written report required by 49 CFR 171.16. The phone call never substitutes for the written report. |
| 49 CFR 171.16(a) | Detailed hazardous materials incident reports: general | Each person in physical possession of a hazardous material at the time any of the following incidents occurs during transportation, including loading, unloading, and temporary storage, must submit a Hazardous Materials Incident Report on DOT Form F 5800.1 (01/2004) within 30 days of discovery of the incident: any of the circumstances set forth in 49 CFR 171.15(b); an unintentional release of a hazardous material or the discharge of any quantity of hazardous waste; structural damage to the lading retention system, or damage requiring repair to a system intended to protect the lading retention system, of a specification cargo tank with a capacity of 1,000 gallons or greater containing any hazardous material, even if there is no release; discovery of an undeclared hazardous material; or a fire, violent rupture, explosion, or dangerous evolution of heat occurring as a direct result of a battery or battery-powered device. |
| 49 CFR 171.16(b) | Detailed hazardous materials incident reports: providing and retaining copies | Each person reporting must submit a written Hazardous Materials Incident Report to the Information Systems Manager, PHH-60, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, East Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001, or an electronic report to the same office at http://hazmat.dot.gov. For an incident involving transportation by aircraft, a written or electronic copy also goes to the FAA Regional Office nearest the incident. The reporting person must retain a written or electronic copy of the report for two years at the reporting person's principal place of business; if the copy is maintained elsewhere, it must be made available at the principal place of business within 24 hours of a request by an authorized representative or special agent of the Department of Transportation. |
| 49 CFR 171.16(c) | Detailed hazardous materials incident reports: updating the incident report | A Hazardous Materials Incident Report must be updated within one year of the date of occurrence of the incident whenever a death results from injury caused by a hazardous material, there was a misidentification of the hazardous material or package information on a prior report, damage, loss, or related cost not known when the initial report was filed becomes known, or damage, loss, or related cost changes by 25,000 dollars or more or 10 percent of the prior total estimate, whichever is greater. |
| 49 CFR 171.16(d) | Detailed hazardous materials incident reports: exceptions | Unless a telephone report is required under 49 CFR 171.15, the written report is not required for: a release of a minimal amount of material from a vent for materials for which venting is authorized, from the routine operation of a seal, pump, compressor, or valve, or from connection or disconnection of loading or unloading lines, provided the release does not result in property damage; an unintentional release where the material is a limited quantity material packaged under authorized exceptions (excluding Class 7 radioactive material) or a Packing Group III material in Class or Division 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, or 9, the package capacity is less than 20 liters (5.2 gallons) for liquids or less than 30 kg (66 pounds) for solids, the total amount released is below those same amounts, and the material is not offered for transportation or transported by aircraft, is not a hazardous waste, and is not an undeclared hazardous material; or an undeclared hazardous material discovered in an air passenger's checked or carry-on baggage during airport screening. |
Compliance checklist
What an inspector looks for
Every 49 CFR 171.15(b) triggering event during transportation, loading, unloading, or temporary storage results in a telephone notice to the National Response Center as soon as practical and no later than 12 hours after the occurrence
49 CFR 171.15(a)
The NRC caller provides the reporter's name, the company name and address, a callback number, the date, time, and location, the extent of injury, the class, shipping name, and quantity if available, and the incident type including whether a continuing danger to life exists
49 CFR 171.15(a)
Staff placing the call can recognize all telephone triggers, including death, hospital admittance, public evacuation of one hour or more, closure of a major transportation artery for one hour or more, radioactive or infectious material involvement, marine pollutant releases over threshold, and the judgment call for a continuing danger to life
49 CFR 171.15(b)
Every incident reported to the NRC by telephone is followed by a written report, without exception
49 CFR 171.15(c)
DOT Form F 5800.1 is filed within 30 days of discovery for every unintentional release of a hazardous material, any quantity of hazardous waste discharged, any discovered undeclared hazardous material, and any battery fire or dangerous evolution of heat occurring while the material is in the facility's physical possession
49 CFR 171.16(a)
Releases evaluated under the small quantity and routine operation exceptions are documented, and the exceptions are never applied when a telephone report was required
49 CFR 171.16(d)
A copy of each filed report is retained for two years at the principal place of business, and copies stored elsewhere can be produced there within 24 hours of a DOT request
49 CFR 171.16(b)
Filed reports are updated within one year when a death results, the material was misidentified, unknown damage becomes known, or the cost estimate moves by 25,000 dollars or 10 percent, whichever is greater
49 CFR 171.16(c)
The NRC call record, the exception determinations, and the supporting shipping papers are kept in the incident file alongside the internal investigation record
Waitlist
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This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.