Safety and Risk Consulting

Decisions are made every day that can impact operational risk, safety, and compliance. We help clients with these decisions through the identification of risks inherent in their operations and developing practical solutions that can lead to improvements in safety and extracting new operational efficiencies. We have been helping clients in the navigation, transportation, energy, chemical, insurance, and public sectors since 1997. We also have experience working with hazardous materials transportation data, conducting studies, and regulatory analysis to support decision-making at both the state and federal levels of government.  

   

 

Transportation Risk Assessments 

We routinely conduct transportation risk assessments for decision-makers in the chemical and transportation industries. We analyze alternate transportation routes to understand total exposure and compare risks associated with mode, route, shipping, and packaging alternatives.

These evaluations are multi-modal and custom-tailored to consider decision criteria such as travel time and distance; accident and conditional release probabilities; potential exposure to people, surface water, and natural hazards; and proximity to special areas of security or safety concerns. Our transportation risk assessments are typically tailored to a new product offering, supplier, or customer. We review material properties (physical and chemical), shipment volume, packaging, routes, and other operational procedures (packing, loading, unloading) and assess the likelihood and potential consequences of an incident in transportation. Our consequence estimations are powered by a proprietary methodology that takes into consideration mode, road/rail grades, accident rates, and environmental concerns that are along the route.  

Spill Response and Mitigation Planning 

By applying our GIS expertise, we help chemical and transportation industry clients prepare hazmat and oil spill response and mitigation plans.

Our work includes defining emergency response planning areas, identifying response needs and capabilities, assessing preparedness, and developing mitigation strategies to minimize spill impacts on humans, infrastructure, and the environment. We use an innovative mapping approach that considers your product characteristics and projects likely to impact areas along transportation routes including if an incident were to occur adjacent to or over water features and the product enters the water. This can help with planning for incident scenarios and positioning response resources. 

Hazmat Transportation Compliance Consulting

We help clients with safety and compliance by providing expertise in domestic (e.g., 14 CFR, 29 CFR, 40 CFR, 46 CFR, 49 CFR) and international (e.g., UN Model Regulations, IMDG Code, ICAO TI) regulations, industry standards, and safety policy governing the transportation, storage, and use of hazardous materials.

We have experience providing support on policy and programs, DOT special permit or approval applications, regulatory interpretations, and innovative automated compliance solutions. The hazardous materials transportation landscape has never been more complex. Domestic and international regulations are everchanging and having a reliable partner with insider knowledge of current and proposed regulations, industry best practices, and cutting-edge analytical techniques are not just a need but a must to ensure continued safety and compliance. Our personnel have experience working with PHMSA, FRA, FMCSA, USCG, and FAA and routinely assist clients with compliance matters. 

Freight Transportation Safety and Security Consulting

Whether it’s hazardous materials or general freight, we help clients with transportation route decisions to optimize efficiency and to reduce the community and social impacts of operations.

We are also active in Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committees and Councils and have experience working on a broad set of subjects including freight data and analysis, international freight transportation, urban freight transportation, and freight transportation planning. We are actively engaged in identifying research and helping to develop innovative solutions to critical issues affecting freight transportation. This includes stakeholder engagement on supply-chain disruptions and chokepoints, inventory shortages, freight equity, electrification and automation of freight, and home delivery of freight. We also routinely work with clients on developing innovative freight solutions including electronic shipping paper and gate-automation solutions. 

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