Transcript General
Introduction to
Occupational Safety & Health:
Hazardous Waste Operations and
Emergency Response
(HAZWOPER)
Andrew Burgie, M.S.
Center for Occupational & Environmental Health
at Hunter College
Presentation Overview
Basic Concepts in Protecting Worker Health
& Safety
Hazardous Waste Legislation
HAZWOPER Courses
Questions and Comments
Basic Concepts in Protecting
Worker Health & Safety
Health & Safety Standards & Terminology
OSHA Regulation “General Duty Clause”
Occupational Safety and Health
Act (OSHA) - Labor
Covers only private employers
State may have public employee version of
OSHA standard as long as it is “at least as
stringent” as the federal standard
OSHA’s facility inspection program can be
random, planned, complaint-driven, by
referral, or accident-driven
Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) are the
legally enforceable exposure limits used
Standard Definitions
OSHA PELs : Occupational Safety and
Health Administration Permissible
Exposure Limits
Employee exposed for 8 hours/day; 40
hours/week; until retirement without
experiencing adverse health effects
Legally enforceable exposure limits
OSHA General Duty Clause
“Employee has right to safe and healthy
workplace”
Employer must provide safe & healthy
workplace
Employee must abide by rules and
regulations insuring a safe & healthy
workplace
Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS)
Important document that explains how to protect a
worker against the physical and chemical
properties of a substance used at work.
The document shall identify:
Substance Name and Hazardous Ingredients
Physical Properties and Fire and Explosion Data
Substance Stability
Short and Long Term Health Hazard Data
Proper Use and Handling of Substance
Proper Protective Clothing to be Worn by Worker
Hazardous Waste Legislation
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) - Controlled Waste
RCRA - Resource Conservation &
Recovery Act (1976)
Waste treatment was addressed from “cradle
to grave” (waste creation to final disposal)
Only applies to active facilities and future
facilities and does not address abandoned or
historical waste sites
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) - Uncontrolled Waste
CERCLA – Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation
and Liability Act (1980)
Chemical companies were taxed and that money
was put into a “Superfund” to clean up abandoned
waste sites
“Hazard Ranking System (HRS)” was developed to
rank abandoned waste sites from “most dangerous
to least dangerous”
“HRS” resulted in National Priorities List
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) - Uncontrolled Waste
SARA – Superfund Amendments &
Reauthorization Act (1985)
Extended CERCLA’s authority to address waste
Community Right-to-Know enabled public to
identify neighborhood industrial properties that
generate hazardous materials
Toxic Release Inventories enabled public to identify
neighborhood industrial properties that released
hazardous materials into air, soil and water
www.epa.gov/tri
Occupational Safety and Health
Act (OSHA) - Labor
“HAZWOPER” – Hazardous Waste Operations
and Emergency Response (1989)
Requires health and safety training for
persons managing hazardous materials
HAZWOPER Course Examples
HAZWOPER Training Courses
HAZWOPER Worker – 40 Hours (initial training)
Additional
3 days on-site training after course
HAZWOPER Refresher – 8 Hours (annual training)
HAZWOPER Supervisor – 8 Hours
Specialized Sites (RCRA TSD) – 24 Hours
Emergency Response (Specialized Trainings)
Awareness
- 8 Hours
Operations
- 8 Hours
Technician
- 24 Hours
Specialist
- 24 Hours
On-Scene Incident Command - 8 Hours
HAZWOPER – Training Highlights
Hazard Recognition, Evaluation, & Control
Site Characterization & Analysis
Site Control
Engineering Controls, Work Practices, etc.
Monitoring of Site and Personnel
Handling of Hazardous Waste Containers
Decontamination Procedures
Emergency Response
HAZWOPER – Hazard Recognition
How can you recognize hazards?
What Types of Hazards Exist?
What Threats are Posed by Careless
Disposal?
When Is It Hazardous Waste?
DOT Emergency Response Guidebook
What Types of Hazards Exist?
Chemical Hazards (corrosive, ignitable,
toxic, reactive, etc.)
Biological Hazards (bacteria, viruses, fungi)
Physical Hazards (heat, noise, radiation)
Safety Hazards (slips, trips, falls)
Ergonomic Hazards (repetitive stress
injuries)
Threats Posed by Careless Disposal
Direct Contact
Hazardous
Fire and/or Explosions
Oil
chemical spill on skin
tanker on fire on highway
Poison via the Food Chain
Eating
fish contaminated with mercury
Threats Posed by Careless Disposal
Air Pollution
Breathing
Surface Water Contamination
A factory
in vehicle fumes or smog
dumpling chemicals in a river (PCBs)
Groundwater Contamination
A large
ground
dry cleaner spilling chemicals into the
Hazardous Materials Spill /Leak
Spill/leak ground penetration analysis of vehicle fuel
“Superfund” Site
A.L. TAYLOR SITE (VALLEY OF DRUMS), BROOKS, KY
Record of Decision (liability) 06/18/1986 – Famous Superfund Site
When Is It Hazardous Waste?
If & When hazardous substances (defined as
ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic
materials) are discarded or intended to be
discarded such as:
Non-usable commercial chemical products
Used
oil from car repair shop
Contaminated soil, water, or other debris
from chemical spill cleanup
Oil
spill in ocean from oil tanker
2004 Emergency Response
Guidebook – Hazard ID
Department of Transportation
Vehicle Placards – Hazard ID
HAZWOPER – Hazard Evaluation
How can you evaluate hazards?
Monitoring of Site and Personnel
Air, soil, and water monitoring
Worker exposure monitoring
Direct-Reading Devices for Air
Photo Ionization Detector (PID) –
Colorimetric tubes –
volatile organic compounds
gases, fumes, vapors, mists
(counts number of ions in air)
(tube medium changes color)
Four Gas Meter / PID combo –
explosive gas, oxygen, hydrogen
sulfide, carbon monoxide / VOCs
Direct-Reading Devices for Air
PID – Contaminated air pumped through
tubes by air pumping device – display
number increases, if contaminant is present
in significant quantity
Colorimetric tubes – Contaminated air pumped
through tubes by air pumping device – tubes change
color, if contaminant is present in significant quantity
HAZWOPER – Hazard Control
How can you control hazards?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Protective
Clothing (suits, gloves, boots, etc.)
Respiratory Protective Equipment
Remediation Technologies (site-specific)
Protective Clothing - Suits
LEVEL “A”
LEVEL “B”
LEVEL “C”
Protective Equipment Respiratory
Air tank
“half-face”
“full-face”
Remediation Technologies
Chemical
Neutralization,
Precipitation
Oxidation Reduction
Ion Exchange
Disinfection
Physical
Screening,
Sedimentation
Filtration
Stripping, Air
Biological
Aerobic
Anaerobic
and Steam
Remediation Technologies
“Capped” landfill
Remediation Technologies
Removing Chemical Vapor from Soil
Hazardous Site Conversion
Luminous Processors
Athens, Georgia
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/action/process/mgmtrpt.htm
CONCLUSION
QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION
_____________________________________
ANDREW BURGIE, M.S.
Center for Occupational and Environmental
Health at Hunter College