I85PREP
⌘ K
Transportation of Dangerous Goods study materials
Transportation of Dangerous Goods study resources

Transportation of Dangerous Goods: Emergency Response and Incident Reporting

Transportation of Dangerous Goods · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Emergency Response and Incident Reporting

Emergency response and incident reporting

This domain tests immediate actions, emergency information, ERAPs, and when an incident must be reported. Expect questions on leaks, fires, spills, and damaged containment, and on who calls whom.

Core rules

  • Protect people first: stop work, isolate the area, keep ignition sources away, and approach from upwind if a release is possible. Use only trained responders and appropriate PPE.
  • Notify the employer, the consignor or carrier as required, and the emergency services. Use the 24-hour emergency number on the shipping document.
  • An Emergency Response Assistance Plan (ERAP) is required for certain higher-risk goods and quantities. The ERAP reference must be on the document, and the plan must be activated through the prescribed process.
  • Report incidents that cause or may cause a release, fire, explosion, injury, or danger to the public or environment. Follow the jurisdiction's reporting route and time limits.
  • Preserve the scene and records. Do not clean up evidence before the required reports are made, unless doing so is necessary to protect life or prevent a larger release.

Worked example

A tractor-trailer develops a leak from a Class 8 tank. The driver smells fumes at a stop. Correct actions: park away from drains and traffic, shut off the engine, keep people back, call 911 and the emergency number, and notify the carrier. The driver should not attempt a major repair or wash the spill into a drain. The carrier activates the ERAP if the product and quantity require one and reports the incident.

Traps

  • Calling only the customer and not the emergency number.
  • Assuming the carrier is the only party that must report.
  • Cleaning up before reporting, destroying evidence of cause and quantity.
  • Using water on a water-reactive spill.
  • Treating an ERAP as a generic phone list rather than an activated plan.

Exam focus

Use the sequence: protect, isolate, notify, activate, report, preserve. Match the product's hazards to the action; water is not a default response.