{"operation":"document","citation":"16-0028","title":"New York State Department of Health — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2016-06-06","effective_on":null,"summary":"16-0028 response to New York State Department of Health concerning 171.1, 172.800, 173.134.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-16-0028.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-16-0028.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-16-0028","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2016/160028.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nPipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministration\nJUN 0 6 2016\nMr. Corey J. Bennett\nAssistant BioSafety Officer, ARO\nGriffin Laboratory\nWadsworth Center Laboratories\nNew York State Department of Health\n5668 State Farm Road\nGuilderland, NY 12084\nReference No. 16-0028\nDear Mr. Bennett:\nThis letter is in response to your February 17, 2016, email requesting clarification of the\nHazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to state\ngovernments and the transportation of infectious substances. We have paraphrased your\nquestions and answered them in the order you provided\nQ1. It is our understanding that § 171.1(d)(5) excepts from the HMR a state entity that\ntransports hazardous materials by state employees in state-owned vehicles solely for\nnoncommercial, state government purposes. Is this correct?\nAl. The answer is yes. As provided in § 171.1(d)(5), the HMR do not apply to\ntransportation of a hazardous material in a motor vehicle, aircraft, or vessel operated\nby a Federal, state, or local government employee solely for noncommercial Federal,\nstate, or local government purposes. Therefore, when the New York State Department\nof Health transports hazardous materials for its own use, using its own personnel, and\nin its own vehicles, it is not engaged in transportation in commerce and not subject to\nthe HMR.\nQ2.\nIt is our understanding that an infectious substance that does not meet the definition\nunder § 173.134(a)(1)(i) for a Category A infectious substance may appropriately be\nclassified as a Category B infectious substance as described under\n§ 173.134(a)(1)(ii). Is this correct?\nA2.\nThe answer is yes. If a material meets the definition of an infectious substance\n(Division 6.2) —a material known or reasonably expected to contain a pathogen—\nunder § 173.134(a)(1) and does not meet the definition of a Category A infectious\nsubstance under § 173.134(a)(1)(i), it meets the definition of a Category B infectious\nsubstance under § 173.134(a)(1)(ii). Category A is an infectious substance in a form\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\ncapable of causing permanent disability or life-threatening or fatal disease in otherwise\nhealthy humans or animals when exposure to it occurs, whereas Category B is an\ninfectious substance that is not in a form generally capable of causing permanent.\ndisability or life-threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals.\nQ3.\nDo the HIMR require that infectious materials regulated as select agents under 42 CFR\nPart 73 be classified as Category A infectious substances?\nA3.\nThe answer is no. The HMR require shippers and carriers of select agents and toxins\nthat are listed in 42 CFR Part 73 and 9 CFR Part 121 to develop and adhere to in-depth\nsecurity plans for transporting these materials and to use these plans to train their\nemployees (see § 172.800(b)(13)). The HMR also except from regulation as a\nDivision 6.2 material infectious substances forensic material known or suspected to\ncontain a Category A infectious substance or an infectious substance listed as a select\nagent in 42 CFR Part 73 when: 1) transported on behalf of a U.S. government, state,\nlocal, or Indian tribal government agency; 2) placed in secondary packagings marked\nwith a \"BIOHAZARD\" symbol that conforms to specifications in 29 CFR\n1910.1030(g)(1)(i); 3) containing an itemized list of the packaging's contents between\nthe secondary and outer packaging; and 4) placed in completed packagings capable of\nmeeting the performance test standards for infectious substance packagings prescribed\nin 49 CFR 178.609 (see § 173.134(b)(15)).\nI hope this information is helpful. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.\nSincerely,\nIn Foote\nT. Glenn Foster\nChief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\n2\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\n•\nEdmonsen\nSS171.1(d(s)\nDodd, Alice (PHMSA)\nDefinitions\n16-0028\nFrom:\nSent:\nEdmonson, Eileen (PHMSA)\nFriday, February 19, 2016 10:16 AM\nTo:\nSubject:\nDodd, Alice (PHMSA); Goodall, Shante CTR (PHMSA)\nFW: request for a letter of interpretation\nLadies,\nPlease log this letter into Filemaker for reply and assign it to me.\nThanks,\nEileen Edmonson\nUSDOT/PHMSA\n(202) 366-4481 (work)\n(202) 366-7041 (fax)\n(202) 366-8553 (main)\n1-800-467-4922 (HazMat Info Center)\ninfocntr@dot.gov (HMIC e-mail)\neileen.edmonson@dot.gov (e-mail)\nFrom: Bennett, Corey (HEALTH) [mailto:corey.bennett@health.ny.gov]\nSent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 12:03 PM\nTo: Edmonson, Eileen (PHMSA)\nCc: Hill, David (HEALTH)\nSubject: request for a letter of interpretation\nDear Ms. Edmonson,\nAs you have previously discussed with my supervisor, Mr. David Hill, I am writing to request a letter of interpretation\nregarding two questions that have arisen in response to a recent DOT inspection of our New York State Department of\nHealth Wadsworth Center Laboratories.\nQuestion 1: Under 49 CFR 171.1(d)(5) we believe that as a state entity, the transportation of hazardous materials by\nstate employees in state owned vehicles solely for noncommercial state government purposes is not subject to any of\nthe requirements of the HMR. Is this correct?\nQuestion 2: It is our understanding that if an infectious substance does not meet the definition under 49 CFR\n173.134(a)(1)(i) for a Category A infectious substance, then the infectious substance may appropriately be classified as a\nCategory B infectious substance as described under 173.134(a)(1)(ii). Are there any requirements under 49 CFR parts\n171-180 requiring that infectious materials regulated as select agents under 42 CFR part 73 must be classified as\nCategory A infectious substances?\nThank you in advance for your response to these questions.\nSincerely,\nCorey J. Bennett\nCorey J. Bennett, Asst. BioSafety Officer, ARO\nNYS Dept. of Health- Wadsworth Center\nGriffin Laboratory\n1\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\n5668 State Farm Road\nGuilderland, NY 12084\ncorey.bennett@health.ny.gov\noffice ph# (518)485-6789\n2","truncated":false,"body_characters":6017}