# Energy Solutions — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 10-0122
- **title:** Energy Solutions — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2011-02-10
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 10-0122 response to Energy Solutions concerning 172.702, 172.704.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0122.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0122.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0122
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2010/100122.pdf
**body:**

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U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE
Washington. D.C. 20590
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
FEB 1 02011
Ms. Merrie Schilperoort
Hazardous Materials Transportation
Training Manager
Energy Solutions
2345 Stevens Drive, Suite 240
Richland, W A 99354
Ref. No. 10-0122
Dear Ms. Schilperoort:
This responds to your letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous Materials Regulations
(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to record keeping requirements for training.
Specifically, you ask whether a hazmat employer must be able to furnish on demand a copy of
the test given to one of its hazmat employees used to satisfy its training responsibility under
§ 172.702( d). You indicate in your letter that such a requirement does not appear to be in
accordance with the recordkeeping provisions for training prescribed in § 172. 704( d).
The answer is no. As specified in § 172. 702( d), a hazmat employer must ensure that each of its
hazmat employees is tested by appropriate means on the training subjects covered in § 172.704.
As specified in § 172. 704( d), a record of current training, inclusive of the preceding three years,
must be created and retained by a hazmat employer for as long as that employee is employed by
that employer as a hazmat employee and for 90 days thereafter. At a minimum, the training
record must include what is specified in paragraph (d); the test taken by a hazmat employee is
not one of those items required to be retained.
I trust this satisfies your inquiry. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
T. Glenn Foster
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch
Standards and Rulemaking Division

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EnergySolutions
2345 Stevens Drive Ste. 240
Richland. Washington 99354
(509) 375-9504 Phone
(509) 371-2458 Fax
June 8,2010 FS-TN-LT-10-006
Mr. Edward Mazzullo
Director, Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
U.S. DOTlPHMSA (PHH-10)
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE East Building, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20590-0001
Dear Mr. Mazzullo,
RE: TRAINING RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS
EnergySo/utions provides training courses and testing on hazardous material
transportation to comply with US Department of Transportation, Hazardous
Materials Regulations (HMR) in 49 CFR, 172 Subpart H. One of our clients was
subject to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMC SA) compliance
review which included aspects of transporting hazardous materials. The
inspectors reviewed our client's hazmat employee training records and also
reviewed our training materials such as lesson plans, exams, and answer keys.
Our client was told by the FMCSA inspectors that a copy of the employee's exam
must be furnished as evidence of completing the training. As the training
provider, we do not return exams 'to our clients nor do we keep them. Clients are
provided a written certification with the employee's name, date of training, our
name and address, and a statement that they successfully completed the training
and were tested as required by the HMR. We advise our clients to maintain a
copy of the certification for their recordkeeping purposes.
Questions:
Are employers of hazardous material employees required to retain written exams
taken by the employee to satisfy the training requirements in the HMR?
If the answer to that question is that a copy of the exam must be maintained,
what is used to provide that evidence when the employee is tested using a
means other than a written exam?
2345 Stevens Drive. Suite 240 • Richland, WA 99354
509.371.8006· Fax: 509.375.9500· www.energysolutions.com

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ENERGYSOLUTIONS
Mr. Edward Mazzullo
Page 2
June 8,2010
Discussion:
In 49 CFR 172.704(d) Recordkeeping, a copy of the exam and/or score is not
one of the required documents to be retained by the employer for the hazmat
employee. In addition, the DOT, Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety
Administration issued a guide titled, "What You Should Know: A Guide to
Developing A Hazardous Materials Training Program". This guide specifically
states that tests and scores are not a mandatory part of record keeping the
employer is required to retain.
Your prompt response is appreciated as an action is pending.
Sincerely,
Merrie Schilperoort
Hazardous Materials Transportation Training Manager
EnergySolutions
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