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Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2013. Model Education Curricula and Toolkit for the Transportation of Hazardous Materials. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22529.
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Page 9
Page 10
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2013. Model Education Curricula and Toolkit for the Transportation of Hazardous Materials. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22529.
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Page 10

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SUMMARY Hazardous materials (hazmat) have a critical role in the nation’s industry and commerce, and there is a need to ensure that hazmat transportation occurs safely, securely, and efficiently. Despite the importance of this activity, there has been little coverage of this topic in post- secondary education curricula in the United States. Hence the objective of this research was to develop model post-secondary education curricula that address the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by the public and private sectors for the safe, secure, and efficient transportation of hazardous materials. Over 170 existing hazmat-related education and training programs and other resources offered by industry and government were identified and evaluated, both to assess the state of the art, and to locate materials that might be used in the model curricula. The research found no organized hazmat transportation post secondary education curricula, and only a few courses devoted entirely to the subject. There is even a dearth of course modules on hazmat transportation. The most extensive educational resources related to hazmat transportation are for fire services and other emergency responders. A large number of hazmat transportation training courses are available, largely focused on two topics: 1) regulatory compliance and 2) emergency response. There are also a large number of non-hazmat specific training courses, and some higher education courses, on emergency management, typically with an all-hazards approach. Large quantities of applicable training and research materials are available, from both public and private sources. The topics that should be included in a comprehensive hazmat transportation curriculum may be organized into the following broad areas: • Introduction–hazardous materials and societal needs • Hazmat transportation logistics • Hazmat laws and regulations • Hazmat mode and route selection • Hazmat risk management • Hazmat transportation incident management • Security of hazmat transportation shipments A review was conducted of how well the available educational materials address these topics. It was found that the focus of much of the material is on the properties of the hazardous materials being packaged and shipped, regulatory requirements, and response to incidents. Lacking is general understanding of transport safety and security, including the considerations involved in mode and route selection. Even less understanding exists for the role of hazardous materials transport in society, the associated risks, and need for planning and transportation infrastructure considerations in moving these products throughout the distribution system. More than a dozen stakeholder groups would benefit from formal study of hazmat transportation. These groups include shippers, carriers, other transportation and distribution workers, federal, state, and local officials, emergency responders, and others. The appropriate depth of coverage of 1

each topic for each stakeholder group, and by extension the related educational objectives, differ. The educational resources found in the review of current practice were used to develop draft curricula modules to meet the needs of these stakeholders, following the topical outline given above. The draft model curricula for hazmat transportation post-secondary education were reviewed and evaluated at a one-day peer exchange workshop at the National Academies’ Beckman Center in Irvine, California. Approximately fifty stakeholders, representing various interests in hazmat transportation, participated. The workshop participants were actively engaged and provided more than 80 pages of comments and suggestions. There was considerable support for revising and finalizing the curricula, and a directive to focus on the module content as the most valuable research product. The curricula modules were extensively revised following guidance received from the peer exchange workshop. In addition an eighth module, on hazmat transportation workforce development issues, was prepared. The production of the final modules was guided by a strategy of designing the project output as a toolkit that could be used by educators to develop hazmat transportation content for a variety of courses and venues. The revised curricula were prepared as separate instructional modules, organized in PowerPoint format. The PowerPoint slides for the final modules are available on the webpage for HMCRP Web-Only Document 2 (http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169272.aspx). See also Appendices E, F, G, and H for supplemental material. In summary, this research produced a set of hazardous materials education curricula materials that are useful in a wide variety of educational settings. Peer review of the material was an essential element of achieving this result. The topics cover most of what educators and industry executives desire for educating current and future hazmat transportation employees. There are, however, significant barriers to adoption of the hazmat transportation education toolkit, including lack of a permanent custodian and no recognized path to professional certification as part of an integrated education and professional development program. The following recommended further effort would help to overcome these barriers: • Conduct a market analysis of prospective adopters. • Promote the toolkit for hazmat transportation education to potential users. • Organize a hazmat transportation education working group to facilitate curricula adoption and evolution, track curricula usage, and serve as the toolkit custodian and champion. • Provide additional supporting materials for each module, such as student guide, exercises, examinations, etc. • Support initial academic offerings at one or more universities. • Produce and offer one or more executive education sessions. The products of this research initiative will gradually become outdated and stale, absent an entity to serve as the “owner” of the curricula. The owner would provide leadership and technical support to update the toolkit content, facilitate course offerings, attract students, provide ongoing user support, and promote the success of the products. Identifying and perhaps funding someone to fill this “owner” role is the single largest obstacle to successful deployment. 2

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TRB’s Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program (HMCRP) Web-Only Document 2: Model Education Curricula and Toolkit for the Transportation of Hazardous Materials includes model post-secondary education curricula that address the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the safe, secure, and efficient transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat).

The model curricula, presented in the form of a toolkit that can be adapted for different audiences and educational purposes, consist of PowerPoint presentations and supporting materials covering eight topics: introduction to hazmat transportation; hazmat logistics; legal and regulatory environment; mode and route selection; risk management; hazmat transportation incident management; security of hazmat transportation shipments; and workforce development issues.

The PowerPoint presentation and supporting material for HMCRP Web-Only Document 2 can be downloaded from the links below.

Introduction to Toolkit Modules (pdf)

Module 1 – Intro to Hazmat Transport (ppt)

Module 2 – Hazmat Transportation Logistics (ppt)

Module 3 – Hazmat Legal and Regulatory Environment (ppt)

Module 4 – Mode and Route Selection (ppt)

Module 5 – Risk Management (ppt)

Module 6 – Incident Management (ppt)

Module 7 – Security (ppt)

Module 8 – Workforce Development Issues (ppt)

Santa Clara Case Study 2011 (pdf)

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