DRAFT: Chemical Transportation Safety

[Charlotte Ryberg]

More than a year after the fall of the NationStates United Nations, concerns are growing for the continuity of Chemical Transportation Safety Standards. Inspired by UN Resolution #183, Charlotte Ryberg's Delegate Ms. Sarah Harper had to do something about reviving such standards for the safety of chemical transportation: besides, Free Trade is likely to fit as a category into this resolution because the standards would lift the trouble of understandings each member state's own system when crossing borders...

Chemical Transportation Safety
A resolution to reduce barriers to free trade and commerce.

Category: Free Trade | Strength: Significant | Proposed by: Charlotte Ryberg

Description: The World Assembly,

NOTING that chemical substances (or simply "substances" for the purpose of this resolution) are a widely traded commodity for the advancement and functionality of many types of technology;

GRAVELY CONCERNED about the safety hazard posed by:
• Member states having different means of identifying and transporting substances;
• The absence of an international standard for the identification or transportation of substances;

BELIEVING that international standards regarding the identification and transport of hazardous substances will improve the safety of chemical transportation;

Hereby,

1. ESTABLISHES and DEFINES the International Chemical Hazard Rating (ICHR) as a rating system for common hazards of substances. The rating shall consist of:
a) Three coloured diamonds consisting of the Flammability (red), Health (blue) and Reactivity (yellow) risk rating, ranging from zero (0) to four (4), where 0 indicates a lowest risk and 4 indicates the highest risk.
b) An additional diamond (white) of indicate specific risks such as, but not just the high reactivity to water or in the case of strong oxidisers;

2. ESTABLISHES the International Chemical Transport Committee (ICTC) and directs the ICTC to:
a) Compile a list of, and to define the characteristics hazardous materials and other notable chemical substances;
b) Assign all chemical substances with a unique identification number known as the Chemical Identification Numbers (CIN);
c) Assign a new CIN to differing isomers and isotopes of substances with identical chemical contents;
d) To define and assign the ICHR for substances as described in section 2a;
3. FURTHER INSTRUCTS the ITA to mandate customs declaration and/or prohibit certain transportation methods of certain chemical substances;

4. MANDATES that:
a) Member states must employ the requirements of the ICTC’s ICHR and CIN systems when transporting substances across international borders: air, land or sea;
c) All containers containing materials are clearly marked with the ICHR and CIN for the substance held in the container, on all visible faces of the container;

5. FURTHER MANDATES that in peacetime circumstances:
a) No substances will be placed in a contained that is marked for a different substance;
b) No containers will be vandalised, tampered with or mislabelled to misrepresent the substances it contains and/or their potential hazard risks;

6. INSTRUCTS member states to inform non-member states that any shipment that does not comply with sections 4 and 5 may be turned back in the interests of safety of the destination state;

7. ALLOWS member states to continue the usage of existing intra-national or local systems without changes being required, provided that the ICHR and the CIN is clearly employed alongside it;

8. ENCOURAGES member states to adapt their national chemical transportation system to the requirements of the ICTC, although not in a misleading way.

Ms. Sarah Harper asks the General Assembly: Since the passage of the NSUN version, what has been the major changes that need to be adapted for the version of 2009?

[The Kosovo]

For the Attention of Ms. Sarah Harper,

The Government of Kosovo welcomes the need of a resolution of this kind: however, there should also be restrictions to how certain types of dangerous chemicals may be transported. For example, under no circumstances should hazardous chemicals be posted by regular parcel service, nor it should be transported undeclared.

[Morlago]

I agree with Kosovo. These matters should be defined to ensure the safety of our people.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Added the following:

3. FURTHER INSTRUCTS the ICTC to mandate customs declaration and/or prohibit certain transportation methods of certain chemical substances;

[Glen-Rhodes]

While I'm weary of the level of bureaucracy this resolution creates, namely in the classifying and organizing of chemicals that already have a universal system of classification and organization. Aside from this, does the resolution forbid the trade of non-classified chemicals, or non-labeled chemical shipments, from non-member states to member states? It seems to suggest so, but the wording is unclear. Clause 1b is also unclear.

On a side note, have you, Ms. Harper, thought to utilize the International Trade Administration (ITA) for the responsibilities currently delegated to the International Chemical Transport Committee? The ITA, established by the Food Welfare Act, is authorized "to manage other international trade issues at the behest of the World Assembly".

Dr. Bradford Castro
Chief Ambassador, FAA
the Commonwealth of Glen-Rhodes

[Charlotte Ryberg]

While I'm weary of the level of bureaucracy this resolution creates, namely in the classifying and organizing of chemicals that already have a universal system of classification and organization.

You might be referring to Section 3 of GA #7, honoured ambassador, but it seems to relate to Workplace safety in that case. The draft is concerned with the transportation of chemicals, so I think I may think of adjusting the system to apply only to the transportation of chemicals. Aside from clarity of the warning labels in the case of transportation, it actually needs to be visible from a good distance and it also needs to be understood quickly.

Aside from this, does the resolution forbid the trade of non-classified chemicals, or non-labeled chemical shipments, from non-member states to member states? It seems to suggest so, but the wording is unclear. Clause 1b is also unclear.

I may have missed out the adjustment of clause 6 due to a recent renumbering routine after adding a new clause 3. I should have specified sections 4 and 5 instead. The delegate does not intend to ban the trade of non-classified chemicals, or non-labeled chemical shipments.

May I ask whether is feasible to provide for member states to mandate customs declaration and/or prohibit certain transportation methods of certain chemical substances, instead of that role belonging to the ICTC, or the ITA if its responsibilities are extended?

On a side note, have you, Ms. Harper, thought to utilize the International Trade Administration (ITA) for the responsibilities currently delegated to the International Chemical Transport Committee? The ITA, established by the Food Welfare Act, is authorized "to manage other international trade issues at the behest of the World Assembly".

It might be possible to extend the functionality of the ITA but there is a concern about the "House of Cards" rule. I may be able to try that.

I am also thinking about whether to adapt this draft to mandate all vessels/vehicles carrying dangerous goods to carry hazard information plates.

Speaking of which, I may preserve the original version of the draft to reference back to during development.

[Quintessence of Dust]

Do you have proposal kleptomania? Are you biologically incapable of not stealing other people's work, dusting the wording a little, and pretending it's your own?

I'm sure the mods will say this is too vague a violation to be judged plagiarism, but I hope, at least, other players know that, once again, all you're doing is hijacking the thought of someone with more sense.

[Absolvability]

Personally, I wish this proposal had something to say about possible qualifications for handling substances... or training that should be recieved. Every chemical will henceforward have a CIN number... but will anybody be required to carry around a notebook? Or will people who own a truck provide cheap and unsafe transportation for these companies? And maybe enact some response program for possible spills.

These are the things that I feel are important. Not so much what color the diamonds are.

[Quintessence of Dust]

Do you have proposal kleptomania? Are you biologically incapable of not stealing other people's work, dusting the wording a little, and pretending it's your own?

Well... unless this very thread can't be trusted, it seems to me as though Ms. Harper as the original author as well.

I think Norderia would disagree.

[Absolvability]

OOC: God dammit. Can't you give me two minutes to edit my post? lol. I'm not sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or what, but the first post of this thread seemed to have two copies of the proposal... one labeled old, and also said to be authored by Charlotte. I'm... starting to think I'm crazy. At any rate, I clicked on the link and found out the original was authored by Norderia, and returned here... I don't know. Now I'm just real confused.

Edit: Or maybe I'm not crazy afterall. Charlotte edited the original post at 11:37 and I edited at 11:38 or some shit.

[Quintessence of Dust]

Yes, I noticed that. The OP originally had an old copy of the proposal, labelled "Proposed by: Charlotte Ryberg", which they've now edited out. Rather underhanded, all told.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Honoured ambassadors, I am trying to build on a new way on safe transportation of chemicals, not a carbon copy.

I know that the final version of this draft will be completely different from the old version but Norderia's original is merely an inspiration. In fact, I am contemplating on rewriting this draft to cover safe industrial transport.

[New Rockport]

A few suggestions:

1. It probably would be a good idea to standardize the relative positions of the color-coded diamonds. That way, a colorblind person could read the label.

2. I've not yet talked to the folks back home about this draft, but I'm sure they'll say that Section 3 gives too much discretion to the ITA. I suggest amending Section 3 to read as follows:

3. FURTHER INSTRUCTS the ITA to mandate customs declaration and/or prohibit certain NEGLIGENT transportation methods of certain HAZARDOUS chemical substances;

3. One other thing that would make this easier to sell to the folks back home would be a provision that bars member states from holding imported chemical labels to a higher standard than the ITA labeling requirements. This would provide chemical exporters with a single standard for all WA member nations, rather than requiring them to keep track of 10,000 different chemical labeling standards. It also would serve to make the resolution more consistent with the free trade category. If you want, I can have my legal staff draft an amendment.

4. There probably should be an exemption for de minimus quantities of chemicals that are not intended for re-sale. I'll have my legal staff draft an amendment for this, too.

Respectfully submitted,
Silvana Rossi
Ambassador to the World Assembly, Republic of New Rockport
Delegate to the World Assembly, Region of Albion