# Eastman Chemical Co. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 11-0271  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2012-02-13

11-0271 response to Eastman Chemical Co. concerning 172.702, 172.704.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department 1200 New Jersey Ave .. S.E.
Washington. DC 20590
of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety
Administration
FEB 1 ,j 2U1:~
Julie Brown
Eastman Chemical Co.
P.O. Box 431
Kingsport, TN 37662
Reference No.: 11-0271
Dear Ms. Brown:
This is in response to your October 27, 2011 letter requesting clarification of the
Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) as they pertain to the
applicability of training requirements for tank car inspectors performing a list of provided
job functions. Specifically you ask if a tank car inspector who performs a visual on the
ground inspection consisting of the following tasks is required to have hazardous materials
training in accordance with § 172.702 and § 172.704; verifying placards marked with UN
identification numbers match a list provided by the shipper, verifying tank car stenciling is
legible, verifying there is no evidence of material leaking from the bottom of the car,
verifying there are no unsafe mechanical issues pertaining to operation, and reporting any
issues to the shipper for proper disposition.
The answer to your question is yes. Hazmat employers are required by § 172.702(a) to
"ensure that each of its hazmat employees is trained in accordance with the requirements"
prescribed in Part 172, Subpart H of the HMR. As defined in § 171.8, a hazmat employee
is a person who, in the course of his or her employment, "directly affects hazardous
materials transportation safety." An employee who inspects shipments and verifies
compliance with hazard communication requirements is performing a function that directly
affects transportation safety and, thus, is subject to the training requirements in § 172.704
of the HMR.
I hope this satisfies your inquiry. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.
Delmer Billings
Senior Regulatory A visor
Standards and Rulemaking Division

<<<PAGE 2>>>

Eastman Chemical Company
P. O. Box431
Kingsport, Tennessee 37662
EASTMAN
October 27, 2011.
We b1
U.S. DOT ~ Ill. S
PHMSA Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
Attn: PHH-10 ~ 172· '7{J.b
East Building
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE. b £:+i VI itTOYlS
Washington, DC 20590-0001
II"o~'11
Dear Sir/Madam:
Do the following job functions meet the definition of a "hazmat employee" and require training
under 49 CFR 172.700?
A tank car inspector who does performs a visual on the ground inspection that includes:
• Verifying UN numbered placards match a list provided by shipper
• Verifying tank car stenciling is legible
• Verifying there is no evidence of material leaking from the bottom of the car
• Verifying there are no unsafe mechanical issues pertaining to operation from ground
level only
• Reporting any issues to shipper for proper disposition
Best Regards,..-- £
~/~
Eastman Chemical Co
P.O. Box 431
Kingsport, TN 37662
jvbrown@eastman.com
423-229-6420
~~
Responsible Care®
Good Chemistry at Work

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2011/110271.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `5e6e43ddd58490a6805a6176eea14deb295c4b5a02aa4908d8cba6ee1c081865`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T15:00:41.152Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-11-0271`

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