4.1 Using the Emergency Response Guidebook
Key Takeaways
- The Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) is published by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and revised every four years.
- Look up a material by its four-digit identification number in the yellow-bordered section, or by proper shipping name in the blue-bordered section.
- Both the yellow and blue sections point you to a numbered orange guide page (Guides 111-174) describing hazards, public safety, and emergency response actions.
- The green-bordered section gives Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances for materials highlighted in the yellow or blue sections (toxic-by-inhalation materials).
- A driver's job at an incident is to give responders the shipping papers and ERG number, not to act as a hazmat technician.
What the ERG Is and Who Publishes It
The Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) is the primary first-response reference for transportation incidents involving hazardous materials. It is developed and published in the United States by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). PHMSA produces it jointly with Transport Canada and Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation, so the same guidebook works across North America.
The ERG is revised every four years (recent editions include 2016, 2020, and 2024). It is designed to be used during the first 30 minutes of an incident, before specialized hazmat responders arrive. It is not a chemistry textbook — it gives fast, conservative, protect-life guidance.
DOT recommends that every vehicle carrying hazardous materials carry a copy of the ERG, and most carriers require it. The driver's role is to identify the material and hand responders the information they need — the shipping papers and the ERG guide number — not to perform cleanup.
The Four Color-Coded Sections
The ERG is organized by colored page borders so a responder can flip to the right part instantly. Memorize what each color does — the exam tests this directly.
| Section color | Content | How you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Numerical index of materials, ordered by four-digit ID number | You have the identification number (e.g., 1203). Find it here; it gives the material name and the orange guide number. |
| Blue | Alphabetical index of materials, ordered by proper shipping name | You have the shipping name (e.g., "Gasoline"). Find it here; it gives the ID number and the orange guide number. |
| Orange | Numbered action guides 111-174 (the heart of the ERG) | Hazards, public safety distances, protective clothing, and emergency response steps for fire, spill/leak, and first aid. |
| Green | Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances table | Used only for materials highlighted (green-shaded) in the yellow or blue sections — these are toxic-by-inhalation or water-reactive substances. Gives evacuation distances. |
A white-bordered section at the front and back covers how to use the book, placard identification, and protective-clothing definitions.
How a Driver Looks Up a Material
Starting from the ID number (yellow section)
- Read the four-digit identification number from the shipping papers, the package marking, or the orange panel/placard on the vehicle or tank.
- Turn to the yellow-bordered pages and find that number.
- The entry gives the material name and a three-digit orange guide number.
- Turn to that orange guide for hazards and immediate actions.
Starting from the name (blue section)
- If you only know the proper shipping name, use the blue-bordered pages, which are alphabetical.
- The entry gives the ID number and the same orange guide number.
Using the green section
If the yellow or blue entry is highlighted (green shading), the material is toxic by inhalation or reacts dangerously with water. Go to the green-bordered table and look up the ID number for the Initial Isolation Distance (the small zone all people must leave) and the larger Protective Action Distance for downwind protection, with separate small-spill and large-spill, day and night columns.
At the incident
- Stay upwind, uphill, and upstream of the release.
- Use the orange guide's evacuation and isolation distances to keep people back.
- Give the shipping papers and ERG guide number to the first responders or 911 dispatcher. That single number tells trained crews exactly how to handle the scene.
In the Emergency Response Guidebook, which color section lets you look up a material by its four-digit identification number?
The orange-bordered section of the ERG provides which of the following?
The Emergency Response Guidebook is published by which agency?