# Wyle Laboratories — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 11-0200
- **title:** Wyle Laboratories — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2011-10-12
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 11-0200 response to Wyle Laboratories concerning 178.980.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-11-0200.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-11-0200.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-11-0200
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2011/110200.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department of Transportation 1 200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Washington, D.C. 20590
Safety Administration
OCT 1 2 2011
Mr. Brian Coppock
Manager, Product SafetylPackaging Technology
Wyle Laboratories
7800 Highway 20 West
Huntsville, AL. 35806
Reference No. 11-0200
Dear Mr. Coppock:
This is in response to your e-mail requesting clarification of the Hazardous Materials
Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to wooden large packagings. SpecificalJy,
you ask for us to clarify which evaluation criteria would be used in the stacking test with a large
wooden packaging using static weights. You state that § I 78.980(e) "Criterion for Passing the
Test" addresses specific categories of large packagings, but that there is no reference for the
criterion for a wooden large packaging undergoing a static weight test.
This appears to be an oversight and we are evaluating this issue to determine the need for a
rulemaking. In the meantime, we recommend the criteria provided in § 178.980(e)(1). Also, in
the HM -231, "Miscellanous Packaging Amendments," final rule that was published on
September 30,2010 (75 FR 60333), we stated that the design, construction and testing
requirements are based on the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods,
Thirteenth Revised Edition (2003); Chapter 6.6, Requirements for the Construction and Testing
of Large Packagings. Section 6.6.5.3.3.5 provides the criteria for passing the stacking test for
large packagings as, "No pe~manent deformation which renders the large packaging unsafe for
transport and no loss of contents," to cover all of the large packaging construction types.
I hope this information is helpful. Please contact this office should you need additional
assistance.
Sincerely,
r-7~?L~
T. Glenn Foster
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch
Standards and Rulemaking Division

<<<PAGE 2>>>

Drakeford. Carolyn (PHMSA)
From: INFOCNTR (PHMSA) 
 /1- OZOO
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 4:23 PM
To: Drakeford, Carolyn (PHMSA)
Subject: FW: Request for Official Letter of Interpretation
Attachments: image001.jpg; image002.gif
We received the following request for a letter of interpretation at the I nfo Center. The caller previously spoke with Vince
Hi Carolyn,
Babich.
Thanks,
Victoria
Victoria Lehman
Hazmat Information Center (HMIC)
http://phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/info-center
(202) 366-1035
From: Coppock, Brian [mailto:Brian.Coppock@wyle.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 11:47 AM
To: INFOCNTR (PHMSA)
Cc: Hardy, Bobby; Bates, Dawn; Fisher, Ronda
Subject: Request for Official Letter of Interpretation
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to request an interpretation of 49 CFR Part 178 Subpart Q IITesting of Large Packagings", specifically
178.980(e) "Criterion for Passing the Test" for the Stacking Test.
The subject section appears to address specific categories of Large Packagings but I do not find a reference for the
criterion for a wooden Large Packaging undergoing a static weight test.
If you could, please clarify what evaluation criteria would be used in the event of an anomaly in the stacking test with a
wooden Large Packaging using static weights.
Thank you,
Brian
Brian Coppock
Manager, Product Safety/Packaging Technology
••rctle
·WVJ~
7800 Highway 20 West
Huntsville, AL. 35806
V.(256) 716-4270
F.(256) 721-0144
Brian.coppock@wyle.com
http://www.wyle.com
1

<<<PAGE 3>>>

2 ista
CERTIFIED LABORATORY
- **truncated:** false
- **body characters:** 3440
