Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Manual

BRIAN J. GALLANT is the Vice President of Contingency Management Associates, where he is responsible for marketing, delivering, and coordination of field services. With more than twenty years of experience as an environmental and safety manager and consultant, he is a member of the National Association of Fire Investigators, the American Society of Safety Engineers, and the International Association of Firefighters, and is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager.

1 Regulations, Agencies, and Resources 1

Introduction—History of Employee Health and Safety Regulations 1

Regulations 2

The Environmental Protection Agency 2

Hazardous Waste Numbers 3

EPA Identification Numbers 4

Clean Water Act 4

Clean Air Act 5

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 5

Toxic Substance Control Act 6

Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) 7

Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) 7

Department of Labor—Occupational Safety and Health Administration 8

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 9

Department of Transportation (DOT) 9

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 10

NFPA 704 Labeling 10

Hazard Communication Standard 12

Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) 13

Hazwoper Training 13

Incident Command System (ICS) 15

Resources 16

Materia] Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) 16

NIOSII Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards 19

Emergency Response Guidebook 19

Summary 20

2 Hazard Classification 21

Chemical Exposure 24

Explosion and Fire 27

Oxygen Deficiency 28

Ionizing Radiation 28

Biological Hazards 29

General Safety Hazards 29

Electrical Hazards 31

Heat Stress 32

Cold Exposure 32

Noise 33

Poisonous Snakes Insects and Plants 33

Weather 34

Heavy Equipment 34

Tools 37

Definition of Hazardous Materials vs. Hazardous Waste 38

Classification of Hazardous Materials 40

Physical Properties of Hazardous Materials 41

Vapor Density and Specific Gravity 41

Flammability 43

Explosive Limits 43 Hash Point 43

Hammable Solids 44

Firefighting and Fire Prevention 44

Portable Fire Extinguishers 45

Toxic Products of Combustion 47

Corrosives 47

Acids 47

Alkalis 48

Reactivity of Some Common Elements 48

Water-Reactive Materials 48

Oxidizing Materials 49

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) 49

Flammable and Combustible Liquid 51

Summary 53

3 Site Safety Plan 55

The Plan 56

Emergencies 57

Incident Characterization 57

Remedial Actions 58

Safety  Plan Development 58

Routine Operations 59

Describe the Known Hazards and Risks 59

List Key Personnel and Alternates 60

Designate Levels of Protection to be Worn 60

Delineate Work Areas 60

List Control Procedures 60

Establish Decontamination Procedures 62

Address Requirements for an Environmental Surveillance Program 62

Specify Any Routine and/or Special Training Required 63

Establish Procedures for Weather-Related Problems 63

On Site Emergencies 65

Establish Site Emergency Procedures 65

Address Emergency Medical Care 66

Implementation of the Site Safety Plan 68

Typical Safety Plan Outline 72

Responsibilities 74

Client 74

Engineering Firm 75

Site Contractors 75

Consulting Firm / Site Safety Officer (SSO) 75

Summary 76

4 Site Characterization 77

Offsite Characterization 78

Interview/Records Research 79

Perimeter Investigation 81

Protection of Site Entry Workforce 83

Onsite Survey 84

Continuing the Survey 86

Information Documentation 90

Hazard Assessment 93

Threshold Limit Values 93

Permissible Exposure Limit 95

Recommended Exposure Limit 95

IDLH Concentrations 95

Potential Skin Absorption and Irritation 96

Potential Eye Irritation 96

Flammable and Explosive Range 96

Monitoring 97

Summary 100

5 Site Control 101

Site Map 102

Site Preparation 103

Site Preparation Tasks 104

Site Work Zones 105

Exclusion or Hot Zone 108

Contamination Reduction or Warm Zone 109

Support Zone or Cold Zone 111

Buddy System 112

Enforce Decontamination Procedures 115

Security Measures 116

Communication Networks 118

Internal Communications 118

Safety Meetings 119

External Communications 119

Summary 120

6 Toxicology and Medical Monitoring 121

Toxicity vs. Hazard 122

Toxicity Tests 122

Dose-Response Relationship 123

Measurement of Response 123

Dose-Response Terms 123

Use of Dose-Response Relationship 124

Limitations of Dose-Response Data 126

Routes of Exposure 127

Gender Differences 127

Age 127

Synergism, Antagonism, and Potentiation 128

Genetics 128

Species Variation 129

Kinds of Toxicity 129

Types of Toxic Effects 129

Toxic Substances and Cancer-Causing Agents 130

Introduction to Medical Monitoring 131

Developing a Program 133

Pre-Employment Screening 138

Sample Pre-Employment Examination 140

Additional Medical Testing 142

Baseline Monitoring 142

Periodic Medical Examinations 142

Sample Periodic Medical Examination 143

Termination Examination 143

Emergency Treatment 144

Non-Emergency Treatment 147

Medical Records 147

Program Review and Summary 147

7 Air Monitoring 149

Monitoring Instruments 149

Direct-Reading Instruments 150

Laboratory Analysis 155

Site Monitoring 158

Monitoring for Dangerous Conditions 159

General On-Site Monitoring 159

Perimeter Monitoring 160

Periodic Monitoring 160

Personal Monitoring 160

Variables of Hazardous - Waste Site Exposure 161

Limitations and Advantages of Monitoring Equipment 161

Summary 162

8 Personal Protective Equipment 163

Introduction 163

Developing a Personal Protective Equipment Program 165

Equipment Use 165

Program Review and Evaluation 166

Selection of Protective Clothing 167

Examples of Protective Clothing 167

Selection of Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC) 169

Selection of Ensembles 179

Personal Protective Equipment Use 185

Training 186

Work Duration 189

Inspection 195

Storage 196

Heat Stress and Other Physiological Factors 196

Monitoring 197

Prevention 199

Cold Weather Operations 200

Other Factors 205

Physical Condition 206

Level of Acclimatization 206

Age 207

Sex 207

Weight 207

Maintenance 208

Summary 208

9 Decontamination Procedures 209

Introduction 209

General Procedures 210

Preplanning for Decontamination 210

Personal Protective Equipment 211

Types of Decontamination 213

Physical Removal 213

Chemical Removal 213

Equipment Needs 215

Proper Disposal 215

Personal Protection 218

Preliminary Concerns 218

Level of Protection 220

Work Function 220

Location of Contamination 221

Reasons for Leaving Site 221

Establishment of Procedures 221

Decontamination during Medical Emergencies 222

Physical Injury 222

Partial and Full Decontamination 222

Persistent Contamination 225

Summary 230

10 Respiratory Protection 231

Selection of Respiratory Equipment 231

Air-Purifying Respirators 235

Air-Line Respirators (ALRs) 239

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) 241

ln-Use Monitoring 246

Storage 247

Inspection 247

Cleaning of Respirators 248

Summary 248

11 Engineering Controls 249

Buddy System 249

Site Security 251

Communications Systems 255

Handling Hazardous-Waste Containers 258

Planning 259

Packaged Laboratory Wastes 263

Bulging, Leaking, Open, Deteriorated, or Buried Drums 263

Sampling 266

Characterization 267

Staging 268

Bulking 269

Shipment 269

Vacuum Trucks 270

Elevated Tanks 271

Compressed Gas Cylinders 271

Ponds and Lagoons 272

Tanks and Vaults 273

Confined Spaces 274

Trenching and Excavation Safety 279

Summary 285

12 Site Emergencies 287

Planning 288

Personnel 289

Federal Response Organizations 294

Training 295

Emergency Recognition and Prevention 296

Communications 297

Internal Communications 297

External Communications 299

Site Mapping 299

Safe Distances and Refuges 300

Site Security and Control 301

Personal Locator Systems 301

Evacuation Routes and Procedures 302

Decontamination 303

Equipment 304

Medical Treatment and First Aid 305

Emergency Response Procedures 307

Size-Up 308

Rescue/Response Action 308

Follow-Up Procedures 310

Documentation 310

Emergency Response Plan 311

Summary 313

Glossary 315

Index 321