Hazmat Reporting

The purpose of a Tier Two Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report is to provide State and local officials and the public with specific information on hazardous chemicals present at your facility during the past year. This information is used by local Fire Departments in Barntsable County and Nantucket for personnel training, hazmat pre-planning and local/regional response to spills and releases. Tier II data is also used in mapping hazmat facilities and their distance to sensitive populations, such as schools and nursing homes. Tier II information is used to understand how safety training needs can be met in our region at no cost. Tier II data can save lives. The annual, upated and accurate information in a Tier II can help firefighters and hazmat technicians respond to your facility with the correct personal protective gear and spill response equipment, preventing injury or death. Tier II facility workers can also be better protected by this advanced preparation at their local Fire Departments; and they can also implement appropriate safety trainings to prevent accidents. Facility property can potentially be spared from damage or destruction. Finally, Tier II data can result in the protection of our local environment, through proper spill prevention, mitigation, and response to hazardous materials incidents.

Section 312 of SARA Title III requires that the owner or operator of a facility submit their Tier II Hazardous Chemical Report if so requested by a State emergency response commission, a local/regional emergency planning committee, or a fire department with jurisdiction over the facility.

This request may apply to the owner or operator of any facility that is required, under regulations implementing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, to prepare or have available a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for hazardous chemicals present at the facility. MSDS requirements are specified in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard, found in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations at x1910.1200.

In the simplest of terms, if you have any chemicals in your private/public work facility, and these chemicals are stored for any ONE DAY at a reporting threshold, they must be annually reported in your Tier II Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report. If you are submitting a Tier II Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report, you must provide the required information on your facility’s Tier II form for each hazardous chemical present at your facility in quantities equal to or greater than established reporting threshold amounts (*discussed below*), unless the chemicals are excluded under Section 311(e) of SARA Title III. Hazardous chemicals are any substance for which your facility must maintain an MSDS under OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard.

Minimum Tier II reporting thresholds have been established for Tier II reporting under SARA Title III, Section 312. These thresholds are as follows:

For Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHSs) designated under Section 302 of SARA Title III, the reporting threshold is 500 pounds (or 227 kg.) or the threshold planning quantity (TPQ), whichever is lower.

For All Other Hazardous Chemicals for which facilities are required to have or prepare an MSDS, the minimum reporting threshold is 10,000 pounds (or 4.540 kg.).

You need to report hazardous chemicals that were present at your facility at any time during the previous calendar year (e.g. a chemical stored and used for a special project for one day at your facility) at levels that equal or exceed reporting thresholds.

Section 311(e) of SARA Title III excludes the following substances:

• Any food, food additive, color additive, drug, or cosmetic regulated by the Food and Drug Administration:
• Any substance present as a solid in any manufactured item to the extent exposure to the substance does not occur under normal conditions of use;
• Any substance to the extent it is used for personal, family, or household purposes, or is present in the same form and concentration as a product packaged for distribution and use by the general public;
• Any substance to the extent it is used in a research laboratory or a hospital or other medical facility under the direct supervision of a technically qualified individual;
• Any substance to the extent it is used in routine agricultural operations or is a fertilizer held for sale by a retailer to the ultimate customer.

OSHA regulations, Section 1910.1200(b), stipulate exemptions from the requirement to prepare to have available an MSDS.

Owners or operators of facilities that have hazardous chemicals on hand in quantities equal to or greater than set threshold levels must submit either Tier II Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report by March 1st of every calendar year.

Each year, the Tier II report software is updated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and made available for download here.

BEFORE SENDING IN A TIER II REPORT, please contact the BCREPC Tier II Program Coordinator at 508.375.6908, or Email: aalati@capecod.gov to be sure you have included ALL federal, state and LOCAL REQUIREMENTS. Errors and ommissions can result in your report being returned to you for corrections/updates, costing you time in meeting the mandatory March 1st deadline. This report process can be complicated and you are strongly encouraged to make an appointment at Barnstable County Department of Health & Environment for reporting assistance and NO FEE.

Once your Tier II report has been proofread and accepted by the BCREPC Tier II Program Coordinator, please Email a copy of your report in a T2S format to each of the following organizations:

1. Your State Emergency Response Commission at: Tier2@state.ma.us
2. Your Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee at: aalati@capecod.gov
3. PRINT AND MAIL A PAPER COPY to the fire department with jurisdiction over your facility.

Because the law of EPCRA is complex and has multiple reporting requirements, your Tier II Program Coordinator, Amy L. Alati, from the Barnstable County Department of Health & Environment, is available to help you determine your reporting requirements and assist you in the reporting process each year at NO FEE. This can save your municipal department or private facility hundreds of dollars each year in compliance assistance fees/charges! Your business or facility can receive help in navigating the new report filing formats, new requirements each year, and attend annual Tier II workshops to answer all your EPCRA compliance questions. You can contact Amy L. Alati year-round with any hazardous materials-related question or concern at 508.375.6908 or Email: aalati@capecod.gov

Mrs. Alati reports to the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) on issues of hazardous materials compliance, education and training, reporting assistance. and contingency planning for municipal facilities and private businesses on Cape Cod and Nantucket.

The BCREPC hopes you will take advantage of this valuable cost and time saving resource!  Working with the Tier II Program Coordinator each year involves no fee in assisting you in assessing your hazmat compliance and safety concerns.

The ultimate goal of this service is to empower our region’s hazmat facilities to conduct their day-to-day business and operations in a safe, prepared, and compliant environment.

Please Contact:
Amy L. Alati, BGS, MRP
Emergency, Health & Safety Planner/EPCRA Compliance Coordinator
Telephone: (508) 375-6908
Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
E-mail: aalati@capecod.gov

Barnstable Superior Court House Complex
P.O. Box 427
3195 Main Street
Barnstable, MA  02630

Any owner or operator who violates any Tier II reporting requirements shall be liable to the United States for a civil penalty of up to $25,000 for each such violation. Each day a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. Please avoid this costly and negative outcome and contact the BCREPC for assistance!