Carriers and others involved in hazardous materials spills will be able to electronically file incident reports on or after January 1, 2005, according to Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) information in the Federal Register November 17.
For incidents that occur prior to January 1, 2005, those making the reports must continue to use Department of Transportation (DOT) Form 5800.1 (Rev. 6/89). For incidents that occur on or after January 1, 2005, persons must use the new DOT Form 5800.1 (01-2004). Electronic submission of incident data is only authorized for incidents that occur on or after January 1, 2005.
On December 3, 2003, RSPA published a final rule under Docket HM-229 that made revisions to the incident reporting requirements. The final rule provides the option of submitting reports electronically. There are two options for the electronic reporting: Option 1 is to fill out the form online. Option 2 is to submit a data file in an XML format.
For more information, see the notice published in the Federal Register by clicking here.