Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
The Boulder County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) works with the community to identify industrial hazardous materials and keep the community informed of the potential risk. All companies that have certain types and quantities of hazardous chemicals must report annually to the LEPC. If the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires your company to keep a Safety Data Sheet (SDS, formerly Material Safety Data Sheet, or MSDS) on file for any chemicals stored or used in the workplace, and the chemical(s) is stored in quantities equal to or greatest than the Threshold Planning Quantity (TPQ) for that chemical, then you must report it. The public is encouraged to participate in the process. For more information about the Boulder County LEPC, contact the Boulder Office of Disaster Management at (303) 441-3390 or lepc@bouldercounty.gov.
Tier II Facilities
Sections 311 and 312 of EPCRA are known as the community right-to-know reporting. Under these requirements, facilities report on all hazardous chemicals present on site, which include extremely hazardous substances established under Section 302 of EPCRA. Specifically, facilities are required to provide information on the physical and health hazards, as well as the amount, and location of all hazardous chemicals, which can be useful for local emergency planning.
Who should submit a Tier II report?
The reporting requirements of Sections 311 and 312 apply to the owner or operator of any facility required to prepare or have available a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) (or Safety Data Sheet (SDS)) for any hazardous chemical defined under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) and its implementing regulations. The requirements for MSDS (or SDS) can be found in the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) in 29 CFR Part 1900.
