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November 22, 2000 10:34 AM, EST

BALTIMORE — Following federal training guidelines could leave a company with employees who are unprepared for the rigors of transporting hazardous materials, according to two experts on the subject.

Although government regulations say workers should be certified once every three years, that is not often enough, according to attorney Lawrence W. Bierlein and traffic manager Richard J. Greener. Certain personnel should be briefed as often as once a year, they said.

Shipping hazardous materials is a complicated matter that is supervised by a number of government authorities, including the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.

Bierlein, a partner with the law firm McCarthy, Sweeney & Harkaway in Washington, D.C., said even the United Nations plays a role by initiating regulatory proposals for international shipping.

For the full story, see the Nov. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. .