49 CFR 172.704: Training requirements
The official text is on the eCFR. Below: how the section is organized, the paragraphs our CSP questions are built on, and free questions to try.
Quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; last amended 2026-02-13.
How 49 CFR 172.704 is organized
- (a)10 paragraphs
- (b) OSHA, EPA, and other training1 paragraph
- (c) Initial and recurrent training—(1) Initial training6 paragraphs
- (d) Recordkeeping6 paragraphs
- (e) Limitations3 paragraphs
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 5 live PassCited questions on this section: our bank, not the real exam.
“(ii) Measures to protect the employee from the hazards associated with hazardous materials to which they may be exposed in the work place, including specific measures the hazmat employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure; and”
“(4) Security awareness training. Each hazmat employee must receive training that provides an awareness of security risks associated with hazardous materials transportation and methods designed to enhance transportation security. This training must also include a component covering how to recognize and respond to possible security threats. New hazmat employees must receive the security awareness training required by this paragraph within 90 days after employment.”
“(b) OSHA, EPA, and other training. Training conducted by employers to comply with the hazard communication programs required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor (29 CFR 1910.120 or 1910.1200) or the Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR 311.1), or training conducted by employers to comply with security training programs required by other Federal or international agencies, may be used to satisfy the training requirements in paragraph (a) of this section to the extent that such training addresses the training components specified in paragraph (a) of …”
“(1) A hazmat employee who manufactures, repairs, modifies, reconditions, or tests packagings, as qualified for use in the transportation of hazardous materials, and who does not perform any other function subject to the requirements of this subchapter, is not subject to the training requirements of paragraphs (a)(3) and (a)(4) of this section.”
“(2) A railroad maintenance-of-way employee or railroad signalman, who does not perform any function subject to the requirements of this subchapter, is not subject to the training requirements of paragraphs (a)(2), (a)(4), or (a)(5) of this section.”
Free practice questions on 49 CFR 172.704
Question 1
A distribution center employee decants corrosive liquids into packages and prepares them for shipment. So far, the employee has completed a course on recognizing and identifying hazardous materials from labels, markings and shipping papers, and a session on the packaging and marking requirements for the exact packages he prepares. The employer has installed local exhaust ventilation at the decanting station and requires splash goggles, gloves and a specific eyewash procedure. Which required training element has NOT yet been provided?
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Answer: B. Safety training on protecting the employee from the hazards he may be exposed to at work, including the employer's specific exposure-protection measures
DOT's hazmat training rule, 49 CFR 172.704(a)(3)(ii), requires safety training on protecting employees from workplace hazmat hazards, including the employer's own measures: here the exhaust ventilation, goggles, gloves and eyewash procedure. Repeat awareness training and training on functions he does not perform do not supply this. The ICAO alternative substitutes only for function-specific training, not safety training.
Answer B rests on
49 CFR 172.704(a)(3)(ii)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(ii) Measures to protect the employee from the hazards associated with hazardous materials to which they may be exposed in the work place, including specific measures the hazmat employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure; and”
Question 2
A chemical warehouse hires a forklift operator who will load and unload packages of hazardous materials. The operator starts on June 1. The company is not required to have a security plan. The safety manager wants to schedule the operator's security awareness training so that it meets DOT training rules. By which date at the latest must the operator complete that training?
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Answer: C. By August 30, which is within 90 days after the start of employment
DOT's hazmat employee training rule requires new hazmat employees to receive security awareness training within 90 days after employment. Requiring it before the first day is stricter than the rule. A six-month window is longer than allowed. The absence of a security plan only removes the in-depth training, not the awareness training.
Answer C rests on
49 CFR 172.704(a)(4)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“New hazmat employees must receive the security awareness training required by this paragraph within 90 days after employment.”
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A study aid, not legal advice or an official interpretation. Always check the current eCFR text.