Hazardous Materials Business Plan Program

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The Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) aims to prevent or minimize harm to public health and safety and the environment from a release or threatened release of a hazardous material. This is accomplished by providing emergency responders with the necessary information to effectively protect the public.

The Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) consolidates, under the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department (a Certified Unified Program Agency or CUPA), the reports required from businesses by state and federal community-right-to-know laws, the Hazardous Materials Management Plan (HMMP) and Hazardous Materials Inventory Statement (HMIS) required by the California Fire Code.

Effective January 1, 2013, HMBPs are required to be submitted electronically to the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS). Businesses that store hazardous materials in quantities that meet or exceed reporting limits are required to submit all elements of an HMBP, namely (1) Facility Information, (2) Hazardous Materials Inventory Statement (HMIS), (3) Emergency Response Plan, and (4) Emergency Response Training Plan.

Facilities that use and/or store hazardous materials above specified thresholds must:

Establish, implement and submit an emergency response plan and an employee training plan to help ensure employees can prevent releases of hazardous materials and know what to do when they do occur.
Employees must be trained annually.
A standard, consolidated emergency response/contingency plan is available to assist you.
Submit facility contact information, a facility site plan and haz mat inventory to assist first responders effectively project the pubic in the event of a release of haz mat.

Filing an HMBP also satisfies the Federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), which was created in 1986 to help communities prepare for chemical-related emergencies.

Submitting, Updating and Re-certifying HMBPs

HMBPs must be submitted and managed electronically in CalEPA's California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) HMBPs must be submitted or re-certified within 12 months of the last full submittal.

UPDATED HMBPS must be submitted into CERS within 30 days when any of the following changes occur:

A 100 percent or more increase in the quantity of a previously disclosed material
The permanent elimination of a material from the site (rather than temporarily out of stock, or seasonal fluctuations)
Any handling of a previously undisclosed hazardous material subject to the inventory requirements of an HMBP
Change of business address/ownership/name
A substantial change in the handler’s operations that would change the information contained in the HMBP
Any change in emergency response personnel listed in the HMBP