ICC Releases 2023 Hazardous Material Incident Report

For Immediate Release – March 21, 2024

Chicago, IL – The Illinois Commerce Commission released its annual report on accidents and incidents involving hazardous materials (hazmat) on Illinois railroads. Of the 9,004 rail cars inspected in 2023, the ICC found violations in only 0.8 percent of all inspections, down from 1.3 percent last year. When the ICC’s hazmat inspections first started in 1981, violations topped 12 percent.

“Routine inspections across Illinois’ railways can help to minimize and prevent hazmat disasters from occurring in the first place,” said ICC Chairman Doug Scott. “The information and takeaways from the ICC’s hazardous materials report are instrumental in evaluating Illinois’ ongoing rail safety measures and keeping communities alongside busy railways safe.”

To help prevent hazmat disasters, ICC inspectors conduct frequent field checks to evaluate signals, track structure, operating practices, and hazardous materials transported by rail. In cooperation with Federal Railroad Administration inspectors, ICC inspectors focus on railroad mainline tracks, rail yards, and the industrial facilities of shippers and consignees of hazardous materials. Any violations or defects discovered, regardless of severity must be corrected to prevent serious incidents.

In addition to routine inspections, the ICC’s Hazardous Materials Safety Program includes technical assistance to shippers, consignees, and rail carriers; the inspection and escort of nuclear materials; and education and outreach activities. To keep communities safe in the event of a derailment, ICC works with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to provide technical aid to local emergency responders and investigate the cause of hazmat incidents.

The ICC is required by law to prepare a report on hazmat accidents for the General Assembly including the location, substance involved, amounts involved, and the suspected reason for each accident, as well as the rail line and point of origin of the hazardous material involved in each accident. Three categories of information contained in the report have also been added by the ICC’s Railroad Safety Section to make the report more useful. These include the type of equipment involved, date of incident, and the amount of hazardous material released in the accident. “Amount Released” is distinct from the required “Amount Involved.” “Amount Involved” is simply the quantity of commodity that was being transported; the “Amount Released” into the environment by an accident is far more critical.

To read the report on accidents and incidents involving hazardous materials on railroads in Illinois click here.