Lafayette, CO – Because of heightened security concerns and recent hazmat transportation incidents, hazardous materials shipments have come under more scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ,and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) than ever before. Shippers and carriers have to demonstrate their compliance with all regulations, and regulators frequently review hazardous materials shipments.

KPA's DOT and MSDS service provides everything required by the DOT hazmat rules (49 CFR 172, Subpart H) and Hazardous Communication (“Right to Know”) regulations including:

• Unlimited online function-specific training
• DOT Hazmat certification
• 24-hour DOT Hazmat hotline staffed by professional emergency responders
• Online Facility Specific Chemical Inventory
• On-demand Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) access for all employees
• Online shipping tools such as guides and glossaries that increase employee efficiency

These services are not completely new to KPA’s 3,000 environmental, health, and safety (EHS) clients as they have been available to them for six years as part of a complete EHS program that includes on-site EHS audits and on-demand EHS software. What’s new is that this product is now available as a standalone service to facilities that don’t need such a comprehensive EHS program.

Eric Schmitz, Vice President of Product and Business Development at KPA explained, “we often receive requests for a DOT product from collision centers, oil changers and other automotive service centers that frequently ship hazardous materials. We are pleased to offer DOT and MSDS now as a standalone product because the level of function-specific training a person signing the shipping paper must complete is significant. KPA’s DOT and MSDS service includes all training, certification, emergency response, and hazmat transportation information required for hazmat shipping and classification process.”

A unique feature of the DOT and MSDS service is the facility-specific Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) database. KPA’s database of vehicle related products has been sourced from OEMs, chemical manufacturers, third-party suppliers, and chemical distributers. Maintaining a database of MSDSs is however only half the solution. Under the Hazard Communication Standard, shippers are required to maintain a facility-specific chemical inventory of the chemical products stored and used throughout their facility.

Peter Zaidel, EHS product manager at KPA, commented: “Many DOT hazmat shipping programs avoid addressing the most challenging requirement of ensuring that the 24-hour response hotline staff has access to chemical information for use in an emergency. KPA leverages the client’s chemical inventory and the KPA MSDS database to ensure your readiness in an emergency. 

About KPA
KPA helps business owners reduce losses, attain compliance with state and federal law; reduce the risk of accidents, fines, civil actions, and litigation while saving costs. Over 3,000 clients trust KPA to provide the right combination of training, software, and expert advice. Endorsed by 24 national and state trade associations, KPA is the only provider of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Human Resource (HR) services and software designed for the specific requirements of dealerships, manufacturers, and automotive services companies.
For more information please visit www.kpaonline.com.

11/01/10