Protocol

Commodity Flow & PHMSA

Hazardous Materials Data Collection

Discussion Guide for Company Visits

4/15/20

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Introduction:

• Thank you for your time today. My name is XX and I work with the United States Census Bureau. My research team evaluates how easy or difficult Census products are to use. What works well, we keep. When potential users, such as you, have difficulty with something, we have an opportunity to fix it.

• Before we start, there is a form I would like you to read and sign. It explains the purpose of today’s session and your rights as a participant. It also informs you that we would like to record the session to get an accurate record of your feedback. Only those of us connected with the project will review the recording and it will be used solely for research purposes. Your name will not be associated with the recording or any of the other data collected during the session. Any information you provide will be kept confidential.

[Hand consent form; give time for participant to read and sign; sign own name and date, start recording; For virtual visits, participants will be sent a pdf version of the consent form for them to electronically sign, prior to the beginning of the interview.]

Thank you.

• I am going to give you a little background about what we will be working on today. Today, we’d like to have you answer questions relating to the packaging of hazardous materials. We’d also like to get your feedback on what the level of burden associated with retrieving that data might be. The survey is in the early stages of development and we are interested in obtaining feedback to ensure that it has all of the information and features needed.

• To do this, we will have you answer several questions to the best of your ability, as they pertain to your company. There are no right or wrong answers, we are mainly interested in your impressions both good and bad about your experience. I did not create the questionnaire so please feel free to share both positive and negative reactions.

• While you are going through the questions, I would like for you to think aloud. Essentially what this means is to verbally express what you are doing and experiencing as you navigate the questionnaire.

• I may ask you additional questions about some of the screens you see today and of your overall impressions.

Demographics:

• Titles/Roles of Interviewees:

• Years in Position:

Great, thank you. Now I’m going to bring up a questionnaire. I’d like for you to navigate through the questions and answer them as they pertain to your company, to the best of your ability. Remember to think aloud as you go.

[In person Participant]: If possible, have participant take necessary steps to obtain an actual UN packaging code. If not possible, hand participant picture of a hazmat container their company likely uses based on their reported UN/NA codes.

[Virtual Participant]: Send participant picture of a hazmat container their company likely uses based on their reported UN/NA codes.]

Cognitive Questions

Now that you’ve seen the information we’re requesting,

• How easy or difficult would it be to report the type of packaging that the HAZMAT was shipped in?

  1. If we asked you to provide the UN packaging code, can you estimate what the additional burden of retrieving this would be?

  2. How would you go about retrieving the UN packaging code?

  3. How many different types of packaging do you use for hazardous material shipments?

     1. For a given hazardous material, would different packaging be used depending on quantity or weight, etc?

  4. How easy or difficult would it be to provide us with all of the packaging codes that you have in your records?

  5. Does your company use a consistent packaging manufacturer?

  6. Would you need to get assistance from others to provide us with these items?

     1. Who would you need assistance from?

     2. How would you contact them?

     3. How easy or difficult would it be to get assistance from them?

  7. How much time would it take for you to report type of packaging that the HAZMAT was shipped in?

• What records do you keep that relate to hazardous material (HAZMAT)? 

• In what format are these hazmat records kept?  Are they available electronically, or paper files? Both?

  • (If electronic) Is the hazardous material in your records easily searchable, such as via a filter, keyword, or categorical search?

• Approximately what percentage of shipments out of your company are HAZMAT related?

  • Percentage of each type of HAZMAT?

• How easy or difficult would it be to report the type of HAZMAT within a shipment?

• How easy or difficult would it be to report the weight of the items within a HAZMAT shipment?

• How easy or difficult would it be to report the mode of transportation of the HAZMAT items?

• How consistently do you have access to this data? Does it ever vary based on the shipment method or some other variable?

• Considering these different variables we discussed (UN packaging code, type, weight, mode of transport) if we asked you to provide more detailed data relating to HAZMAT on the Commodity Flow Survey, can you estimate what the additional burden of retrieving this would be?

Wrap Up:

• We are almost finished. Do you have any other comments or suggestions for us?

• Thank you so much for your time today.

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