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116 This report presents an analysis and possible methodol- ogy to develop and implement an accident reporting data- base system to collect information on the nature and extent of damage to U.S. DOT-specified hazardous materials bulk packages involved in accidents, whether or not the damage resulted in a leak of contents, as well as the characteristics of the accidents. This was achieved by (1) reviewing the nature and quality of the data currently being collected for accidents involving U.S. DOT-specified hazardous materials bulk packages (i.e., portable tanks, cargo tanks, and cargo tank motor vehicles), (2) determining what data were needed to develop a satisfactory database, (3) developing method- ologies for systematic collection and analysis of the neces- sary performance data, and (4) identifying and evaluating the institutional barriers to establishing such a database and approaches to overcoming them. A successful data collection system requires cooperation among bulk package manufacturers, carriers, shippers, mul- tiple associations representing these groups, and multiple government agencies. Such a system will provide a powerful source of information for industry to pro-actively identify and assess improvements in package design, and to under- take quantitative, data-driven safety and risk analyses to inform private and public-sector package design and policy decisions. If implementation of a mandatory extension of Form DOT F 5800.1 with a âno-faultâ provision is considered, further research, prior to implementation, would: 1. Identify strategies to address underreporting in PHMSA HMIRSâthis may include crosschecking with accidents reported to other databases (i.e., TIFA, MCMIS Crash File), getting data from repair shops, using comprehen- sive news alerts (similar to the Google news alert used in the pilot study), and collecting information from state or local police; development of outreach programs to increase awareness of the benefits to reporting accidents, even when there is no release; and increasing enforcement effort to improve compliance with existing reporting requirements. 2. Justify burdens to both industry and the government to execute this extension. 3. Further assess the feasibility of this endeavor by providing temporary incentives to encourage carrier participation until a sufficient number of responses can be obtained. 4. Determine the process and time required to comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) in order to modify the form. 5. Conduct meetings or hearings to discuss the possibility of improving Form DOT F 5800.1 to collect important, additional information identified in this study. 6. Identify methodologies to develop and establish a data- base of detailed design information for the national fleet of individual bulk packages. 7. Establish best-practice procedures for accidents involv- ing hazardous materials to obtain photographs of pack- age damage and record key pieces of information prior to removing the bulk package from the scene. S e c t i o n 6 Conclusion and Suggested Research
