TABLE 1-5 - Hazardous Materials Transportation Incidents: 2004-2009

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NOTES: Accident related excludes human errors, package failures, and unreported cases. Water data are for incidents involving packaged materials only and do not include incidents where the vessel is the container (e.g., a barge or oil tanker).

In previous years, carriers were exclusively responsible for reporting hazardous materials release incidents. In 2005, PHMSA expanded the reporting requirements to include: reports by person(s) in physical possession of a hazardous material at the time an incident occurs during transport; reports on nonrelease incidents such as structural damage to cargo tanks specified for 1,000 gallons or more and undeclared shipments of hazardous materials.

Pipeline data are derived from three unique data sets, and a comprehensive total for pipeline incidents is not applicable. As of March 2010, the secondary cause designations of incidents in these reports have been updated and improved. Please note that secondary cause category counts and distributions have changed as a result of these improvements and also as a result of preparations for new accident/incident reporting forms which became effective January 1, 2010.

SOURCES: Highway, Rail, Air, and Water: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Incident Statistics, available at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/library/data-stats/incidents as of December 2010; Pipeline: USDOT, PHMSA, Office of Pipeline Safety, Accident/Incident and Mileage Summary Stats, available at http://phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/library/data-stats as of December 2010.