The World Assembly,
Cognizant of the many important roles hazardous materials play in the industries and operations of WA member states;
Concerned, though, that the lack of uniform regulation and oversight in the transportation of such substances could increase the risk of spills and leaks and, by extension, the terrible ramifications of such accidents on the environment and intelligent life;
Resolving, then, to provide effective international standards and oversight for the transportation of hazardous materials;
Hereby,
- Defines, for the purposes of this resolution:
- A “hazardous material”, “hazmat”, or “hazardous substance” as any object or agent that would pose, either directly or via environmental contamination, a significant risk to local life in the bulk and/or concentration found in transportation and storage;
- The “LD50” as the amount of a hazardous substance, given all at once, which would cause mortality in the top 50% most affected individuals;
- Further empowers the Toxic Materials Commission (TMC) with the following mandates:
- To, in addition to those carried out by national hazmat authorities, conduct unannounced inspections, both targeted and random, of hazardous material transports for the purpose of ensuring all regulations are upheld and high standards of safety are maintained;
- To certify hazmat containers manufactured by other entities to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, and sufficient manufacturing consistency;
- To manufacture and/or facilitate the manufacture of standardized, regulation-compliant containers as a low-cost alternative to those produced by other entities;
- To mitigate the negative impacts of hazardous materials lost or damaged while in transit and/or aid member states in doing so;
- To liaise with the International Transport Safety Committee (ITSC) to determine and enact standards to further improve safety in hazmat transportation;
- To establish and certify training regimens for workers in frequent contact with hazardous materials, and ensure programs’ continued relevance, and
- To cooperate with judicial bodies to penalize entities in violation of relevant rules and regulations;
- Requires all personnel involved in the transportation of hazardous materials receive job-relevant, TMC-certified hazmat training in order to reduce, as much as is plausible, risk of preventable accidents due to personnel error;
- Mandates the use of TMC-certified containers in the vehicular transportation of hazardous materials, subject to the following specifications as appropriate for each package:
- Containers must be "drop-resistant", defined as the ability to weather a minimum of six consecutive drops of at least 2 meters onto a rigid, non-resilient, flat and horizontal surface without sustaining any damage which could adversely affect safety during transport;
- Containers must be "air-tight", defined as being able to enclose contents at a of at least 4 psi, or one-point-five times the pressure of its intended contents (whichever is greater) without rupture or leakage;
- Containers must be "vibration-resistant", defined as the ability to withstand severe vibration with peak-to-peak displacement of at least one inch for no less than one hour without sustaining any leaks, ruptures, or being otherwise structurally compromised;
- Rigid containers must be tested for "stack safety", defined as the capability of a container to withstand the total weight of all full, identical containers that would be stacked upon it during transport; the maximum tested weight withstood must be clearly labeled on containers’ exteriors to reduce negligent use;
- Containers carrying chemically reactive contents must be "chemically stable", defined as the ability to contact chemically-reactive contents for no less than 180 days at shipping temperature without sustaining leaks or being otherwise structurally compromised; minor revisions to pre-certified container designs, excepting material changes, need not be re-tested for chemical stability;
- Containers carrying infectious agents must use at least one primary receptacle, enclosed in at least one secondary receptacle, itself enclosed in an outer layer of packaging, all of which are subject to all of the above regulations, and clearly labeled as containing an infectious agent;
- Containers carrying greater than the LD50 of a hazardous substance must be clearly and expressly labeled as such;
- Obligates WA member states and all entities operating within their borders to schedule and report departures, arrivals, routes, and accidents pertaining to hazardous cargo directly to the TMC in order to facilitate inspections and/or damage mitigation, and
- Prohibits WA member states from withholding access to areas required for or otherwise deliberately interfering with TMC operations, so long as such proceedings would not present a tangible risk to national security.
