Hazardous Materials
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Hazardous Shipping/Transportation

University Policy

The University's general policy on the shipment of hazardous materials is stated in the Business Policy and Procedure 7:040

"No package containing a hazardous material shall be shipped or offered for shipment from or by the University of Missouri-Columbia without expressed approval by the Department of Environmental Health and Safety"

The Department of Transportation regulates the transport of hazardous materials in commerce. Hazardous materials are "in commerce" when they are offered to commercial carriers for shipment. The regulations require that anyone who participates in the transportation of hazardous materials be trained, tested, and certified in their duties. This is accomplished at MU by EHS overseeing individual shipments as they are prepared, or by EHS providing training to campus personnel who participate in shipping.

Some Potentially Hazardous Materials in Transport

Some materials are restricted for transport by any mode of transportation; some are restricted only when shipped by a certain mode, such as air. The following are materials which may be restricted for transport.

  • Substances that cause disease in humans or animals
  • Human or animal specimens sent for diagnostic or investigational purposes
  • Dry ice, liquid nitrogen
  • Genetically modified organisms or microorganisms
  • Tissue fixative solutions
  • Gas cylinders
  • Flammable, corrosive, toxic, or oxidizing materials
  • Chemicals being returned to manufacturer

Shipping Process

As soon as you know you will need to ship a chemical, biological, or other potentially hazardous material from MU, you should contact EHS Hazardous Material Services (HMS) to request a regulatory determination on the material. For radioactive materials, you should contact EHS Radiation Safety (HMS does not handle radioactive material shipments).

Many materials related to scientific research are hazardous or can have the appearance of being hazardous to the transport worker or casual observer during transport. Sometimes it is prudent to clearly document and communicate the non-hazardous nature of a shipment, with which EHS can assist.

HMS staff will evaluate whether the material intended to be shipped is impacted by any applicable transport regulations. These consist primarily of:

  • Department of Transportation (DOT) 49 CFR Parts 100-185, Hazardous Materials Regulations
  • International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations (a guide to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air)
  • US Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual and/or Publication 52 (Note: very few hazardous materials are mailable)

For simple shipments, regulatory determination on the material can be done rather quickly, but for more complex types of shipments, research into the regulatory impact could take considerably more time. Please keep this in mind when planning shipments.

In addition, there may be other EHS requirements for the transfer of some materials whether they are regulated by DOT for transport or not (see Other EHS Links below).

Sometimes there may be other MU department or other regulatory agency requirements to consider, that are beyond the scope and responsibility of HMS or EHS (see Other MU Department Links or Additional external links related to Shipping below). Satisfying some of these could take considerable time as well.

Once the regulatory determination has been made for the material to be shipped, a representative from EHS HMS may need to oversee or assist with the preparation of the package and/or shipping documents. This can be accomplished by meeting at the shipper’s location or at the EHS Resource Recovery Center. For some shipments, a commercially manufactured and tested packaging may be required by regulation, and would need to be ordered by the shipper from a supplier in advance of the shipment.

Under no circumstances should hazardous material packages be delivered to the carrier’s shipping terminal or drop-off location for shipment from MU.

Vehicular Transport on Campus

MU can, in certain circumstances , transport hazardous materials to or between campus locations without adhering to the full regulatory requirements that are otherwise in effect when transporting in commerce. Call (573) 882-3736, or email hazmat@missouri.edu for complete information on transporting between campus locations.

Transport from EHS RRC Chemical Recycling Building

You may transport chemicals you have received from the MU EHS RRC Chemical Recycling Building to the MU location where they will be used. Please follow these instructions for transporting items from the Chemical Recycling Building.

Current Shipping Training Offered by EHS

Other EHS Links

Other MU Department Links

Depending on what you are shipping and its destination, any shipment may be affected by other MU or regulatory agency requirements, regardless of its hazardous or non-hazardous nature.

Export Controls (MU Office of Research Compliance)

If you are shipping material to an international destination, there may be export control requirements to consider through the Office of Research Compliance.

Material Transfer Agreement (MU Office of Technology Management and Industry Relations)

For shipment of some materials, researchers/PIs may be required to request a Material Transfer Agreement through the Office of Technology Management and Industry Relations.

Additional external links related to Shipping

 

 

 
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