In order to protect public health and safety, as well as the environment, the Business Plan/Handler Program regulates the storage and handling of hazardous materials through education, facility inspections and enforcement of State law. Facilities residing in the incorporated cities of Corona and Riverside should direct questions regarding this program to their local fire department. The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health is the overseeing agency for facilities located in all other areas of the county.
Business Plans
A major requirement of the Hazardous Materials Disclosure program is the creation and maintenance of a Business Plan. The information from the Business Plan is made available to first responders in the county for emergency response activities. All handlers are required to disclose their inventory of hazardous materials in the form of a Business Emergency Plan. Business plans and chemical inventories must now be reported electronically. Please use the link to the right to submit your Business Plan electronically.
Chemical Inventory
Generally speaking, a Hazardous Materials Handler is identified as any facility storing hazardous materials and or wastes in quantities greater than or equal to:
- 55 gallons of a liquid substance
- 500 pounds of a solid substance
- 200 cubic feet of compressed gas
Please note that for acutely or extremely hazardous materials, these amounts are less.
Toxic Release Inventory Program
Certain facilities may be regulated under the US EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program in addition to being regulated under the Riverside County Disclosure program. A listing of chemicals covered by the TRI program can be found here and generally include those substances which can cause cancer or chronic human health effects, can cause adverse acute human health effects, or can cause significant adverse environmental effects.
TRI tracks the management of certain toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment. U.S. facilities in different industry sectors must report annually how much of each chemical is released to the environment and/or managed through recycling, energy recovery and treatment.
From the US Environmental Protection Agency