Hazardous Materials Disclosure
Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA)

The Hazardous Materials Release Response Plan Program (also known as Disclosure and Business Emergency Plan) is part of the Orange County CUPA. This program requires any business that handles more than a threshold quantity of a hazardous material to develop a Business Emergency Plan (BEP). The California threshold for BEPs is 55 gallons, 500 pounds or 200 cubic feet of gas. Extremely Hazardous Substances as listed in 40 CFR, Part 355, Appendix A are reported at the California threshold or the Federal Threshold Planning Quantity (TPQ) depending on whichever is lower.

Businesses that handle a hazardous material above the threshold are required to develop and submit a BEP to the Administering Agency.

1. Inventory of Hazardous Materials
   Each hazardous material present in quantities above the threshold quantity must be inventoried. This information is reported on Office of Emergency Services (OES) forms 2730, 2731 & 2732. Businesses submitting California inventory forms will also be in compliance with the Federal Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-know Act.

2. Emergency Response Plans and Procedures
   Emergency plans and procedures are required to address a release or threatened release of hazardous materials. The response plan and procedures should be scaled appropriately for the size and nature of the business, the type of materials handled and the proximity to residential areas.

3. Release Reporting
   All releases or threatened releases must be reported to the OES and the Administering Agency. Guidelines and reporting requirements can be found on the OES web page. 

4. Training
   A training program should be reasonable and appropriate for the size of the business and the nature of the hazardous materials used.

In Orange County, the CUPA has delegated this program to the local Fire Agencies. Please contact your local fire department for more information regarding this program and/or additional local requirements. Refer to CUPA Administration page for a list of contacts.

CalARP - California Accidental Release Prevention Program

The California Accidental Release Prevention Program (CalARP) is a part of the Orange County CUPA.  CalARP was adapted from the Federal accidental release program established by the Clean Air Act Section 112 (r) and modified to meet California's needs. This program requires any business that handles more than threshold quantities of a Regulated Substance (RS) to develop a Risk Management Plan (RMP). The RMP is implemented by the business to prevent or mitigate releases of regulated substances that could have off-site consequences.

Regulated Substances and their threshold quantities can be found in Title 19, California Code of Regulations, in the following tables:

• Table 1: Federal list of Toxic Regulated Substances

• Table 2: Federal list of Flammable Regulated Substances

• Table 3: California list of Regulated Substances

Copyright ©2008 Orange County Health Care Agency.
For questions on services use AccessOC, for comments about our site contact HCA Public Information.
Top of Page | County Home | HCA Home | HCA Intranet | HCA Services Directory A-Z | Accessibility