Transcript HAZWOPER 29 CFR 1910.120

HAZWOPER 29 CFR 1910.120
By Lynn Reese and Gina K. Brooks
The Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
standard apply to three groups of workers. The standard is set up in
paragraph (a) thru (q)
•Paragraph (a) Scope, application and definitions
•(b)-(o) Government body clean-up operations, RCRA
corrective action clean-up operations, Voluntary clean-up
operations.
•(p) Treatment, Storage, & Disposal facility
•(q) Emergency Response Operations
Activities that are required when responding to incidents can be
divided into five broad, interacting elements.
Recognition
Evaluation
Identification of the substance involved and the
characteristics which determine its degree of hazard.
Impact or risk the substance poses to the
worker, public health and the environment.
Control
Methods to eliminate or reduce the impact of
the incident.
Information
Knowledge gained about the conditions or
circumstances particular to an incident.
Information is often times called intelligence. In
a response you gather intelligence and
disseminate it.
Safety
Protection of responders from harm.
RECOGNITION
INFORMATION
EVALUATION
CONTROL
SAFETY
Response System Hazards
 Toxic Hazards
Fire and Explosion Hazards
Corrosive Hazards
Chemical Reactivity
Safety Hazards
Biological Hazards
Radiation Hazards
Hazards Effects
Toxic materials cause local or systemic detrimental effects
in an organism. Exposure to such materials does not
always result in death although that is often the most
immediate concern. The effects experienced by an
organism depends on: (1) the inherent toxicity of the
material itself; (2) the magnitude of the exposure (acute or
chronic) and ; (3) the route of exposure (ingestion,
inhalation, skin absorption).
Fire and Explosion Hazards
Combustibility is the ability of a material to
act as a fuel. Three components are required
for combustion to occur: fuel, oxygen, and
heat. At a hazardous material incident, the
first two are not easily controlled.
Consequently, while working on-site where a
fire hazard may be present, the concentration
of combustible gases in air must be
monitored, and any potential ignition source
must be kept out of the area.
Corrosive Hazards
Corrosion is a process of material degradation. Upon
contact, a corrosive material may destroy body tissues,
metals, plastics and other materials.
The pH scale range from 0 to 14 as follows:
<Increasing Acidity
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Neutral
Increasing Basicity>
7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14
Measurements of pH are valuable because they can be
quickly done on-site, providing immediate information
on the corrosive hazard.
Chemical Reactivity
A Chemical Reaction is the interaction of two or
more substances, resulting in chemical changes.
Exothermic chemical reaction, which give off heat,
can be the most dangerous. A separate source of heat
is required to maintain endothermic chemical reaction.
Removing the heat source stops the reaction.
Chemical reactions usually occur in one of the following ways:
•Combination
A + B > AB
•Decomposition
AB
>
A+B
•Single Replacement
A + BC >
B + AC
•Double Replacement
AB + CD>
AD + CB
Safety Hazards
Kinetic / Mechanical
Generally referred to as “slip-trip-fall” type injuries, the
kinetic/mechanical category includes “struck-by” injuries along with
the “striking” injuries.
Electrical
Ways for protecting personnel from shock are:
•Grounding equipment
•Using double-insulated tools
•Having overcurrent devices
Acoustic
Excessive acoustic energy can destroy the ability to hear and may
also put stress on other parts of the body, including the heart.
Biological Hazards
Animal bites/strings, contact with plants and microbes, and exposure
to medical/infections wastes are examples of biological hazards that
response personnel may encounter.
•Animal bites or stings are usually nuisances (localized swelling,
itching and minor pain) that can be handled by first aid.
•Toxic effects from plants are generally due to ingestion of nuts,
fruits, or leaves. Of more concern to response personnel are certain
plants, including poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, which
produce adverse effects from direct contact.
•Microbial hazards can occur when the materials the workers are
handling have biological as well as chemical contamination.
•Medical/infectious wastes include blood born pathogens on a
hazardous waste site one must address proper engineering controls,
work practices, and personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of
contact with blood born pathogens.
Radiation Hazards
Unlike many hazardous substances that possess
certain properties which can alert response personnel
to over-exposures (Odor, irritation, or taste),
radiation has no such warning properties. Therefore,
preventing radiation material from entering the body
or protecting against external radiation is the best
protection. As with biological and chemical hazards,
the use of respiratory and personnel protective
equipment, coupled with scrupulous personal
hygiene, will afford good protection against
radioactive particulates.