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Federal Hazardous Materials International
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Toward International Uniformity

In Section 5120, Congress instructed the Secretary of Transportation to participate in international forums that establish or recommend mandatory standards and requirements for transporting hazardous material in international commerce, subject to guidance and direction from the Secretary of State. The Secretary of Transportation may also consult with interested authorities to ensure that, to the extent practicable, regulations the Secretary prescribes are consistent with standards related to transporting hazardous material that international authorities adopt. However, the Secretary of Transportation is not required to prescribe a standard identical to a standard adopted by an international authority if the Secretary decides the standard is unnecessary or unsafe, and specifically does not prohibit the Secretary from prescribing a safety requirement more stringent if the Secretary decides the requirement is necessary in the public interest. See Title 49 United States Code, Section 5120, International uniformity of standards and requirements.
An example is RSPA-98-4185  entitled "Harmonization with the United Nations Recommendations, International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, and International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions" a Final Rule which became effective on 01/01/99. This final rule amended a requirement for the use of the International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (ICAO Technical Instructions) and updates references in the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to include the most recent amendments to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) and the ICAO Technical Instructions. These amendments are necessary to facilitate the continued transport of hazardous materials in international commerce by vessel and aircraft at the time these international regulations become effective.
Published 10/29/98; 63 FR 57929. (HM-215C);
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It has long been thought that improved safety at sea could be achieved if international regulations were followed by all shipping nations, and attempts have been made to accomplish this through treaties since the 1800's. In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing the International Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), which later became the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code was first published in 1965 by the International Maritime Organization. The IMO is responsible for periodic updating of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) which governs the vast majority of shipments of hazardous materials by water. The Code is based on the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods but also includes additional requirements applicable to the transport of hazardous materials by sea (e.g. requirements for marine pollutants, freight containers, stowage and segregation as well other requirements applicable to shipboard safety and preservation of the marine environment.) The Code is recommended to governments for adoption as the basis for national regulations in conjunction with the governments' obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
 The U.S. Hazardous Materials Regulations authorize use of the IMDG Code as a means of compliance with the HMR when at least one segment of transport involves sea transport. The IMDG Code is updated each two years. Latest revision, Amendment 29, was effective on January 1, 1999, and is available from IMO and commercial sources.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (ICAO Technical Instructions). The constitution of International Civil Aviation Organization is the Convention on International Civil Aviation, drawn up by a conference in Chicago in 1944, and each ICAO Contracting country is a party. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Air Transport Association is the trade association of the international airline industry of the world. Originally founded in 1919, it now consists of member airlines which fly over 95 percent of all international scheduled air traffic. A team of IATA members with airline and technical expertise produced the IATA "Restricted Article Regulations" and the first set of Regulations governing the international transport of dangerous goods were issued in 1956. While the Restricted Article Regulations were used throughout the industry by all main carriers, they were only applicable to IATA members and their adoption and use was voluntary. See IATA Dangerous Goods Information Online.
ICAO Training Directory lists over 150 training institutions with all fields of civil aviation training, and is updated annually.
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