Field Decontamination

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FieldDecontamination
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Where are we?

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Awareness Review
• 3 Surveying the HazMat Incident
• 4 Hazard Risk Assessment
• 5 Intro to Incident Command
• 6 Protective Clothing Equipment
• 7 Hazardous Materials Control
• 8 Decontamination
• 9 Termination Procedures
• 10 Safety
• 11 Conclusion

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Field Decontamination

• All workers expected to take part in
  Operations-level activities are required by state
  and federal regulations to know how to implement
  basic decontamination procedures

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Contamination

• The word contamination is derived from the
  Latin verb meaning to touch
• Contamination refers to a staining or polluting
  that occurs by physical contact with another
  substance

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How Contamination Occurs

• Personnel responding to HazMat incidents may
  become contaminated in a number of ways...

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How Contamination Occurs

• by contacting vapors, gases, mists or particulates

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How Contamination Occurs

• by being splashed by materials while sampling or
  opening containers

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How Contamination Occurs

• by walking or driving through puddles or liquids
  or contaminated soil

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How Contamination Occurs

• by using contaminated instruments, equipment or
  clothing

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Contamination

• PPE will help prevent the wearer from becoming
  contaminated or inhaling contaminants, while good
  work practices help reduce contamination on
  protective clothing, instruments, and equipment
• Even with these safeguards, contamination may
  occur

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Contamination

• Inadequate decontamination procedures can spread
  the contamination outside the Hot Zone

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Contamination
Ambulance drivers and attendants have been
overcome by secondary contamination caused by
transporting victims who were not decontaminated
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Contamination
In removing contaminated clothing personnel may
contact contaminants on clothing or inhale
contaminants
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Contamination

• To prevent such occurrences, both controls to
  avoid becoming contami-nated, minimize
  contamination, and decon procedures must be
  developed and established before anyone enters a
  contaminated site

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Contamination

• These controls must continue (modified when
  necessary) throughout site operations

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Decontamination

• Decontamination consists of physically removing
  contaminants or changing their chemical nature to
  less harmful substances

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Degrees of Decontamination

• How extensive decontamination must be depends on
  a number of factors, the most important being the
  type of contaminants involved

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Methodology

• Only general guidance can be given on methods and
  techniques for decon
• The exact procedure to use must be determined
  after evaluating a number of factors specific to
  the incident

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General Application Criteria
Decontamination is performed when any of the
following conditions are present

• a) when there is obvious contamination by a known
  substance
• b) when there is suspected contamination by a
  known substance...

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General Application Criteria
Decontamination is performed when any of the
following conditions are present

• c) when there is any likelihood of exposure to a
  deadly substance in the hot zone
• d) when you dont want to spread the contaminant
  under any condition
• e) when you want to protect the environment

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Basic Principle

• By avoiding contami-nation through proper
  positioning of people, apparatus and equip-ment,
  you eliminate the need to have to decontaminate

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Negative Outcomes of Failure to Decontaminate

• By placing contaminated patients into an
  ambulance and transporting them immediately, you
  enable contamination to spread

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Negative Outcomes of Failure to Decontaminate

• Emergency responders and citizens have received
  permanent injuries or have died from being
  directly or indirectly exposed to hazardous
  materials and not receiving adequate decon in a
  timely manner

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Goal of Decontamination
The goal of decontamination is to minimize the
potential harm to people, the environment, and
property, from exposure to dangerous substances
by eliminating or reducing the hazard(s) of the
chemical contaminant
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Planning for Decontamination
Local response entities must develop operational
plans for conducting field decon at the emergency
scene and practice using these plans before an
actual incident occurs
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Planning for Decontamination
Toxicity and Decon Information
Emergency responders can access health
information, health guidance, and referral to
appropriate authorities by calling the Oregon
Poison Center
[phone] (in Portland, call 494-8968)
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Planning for Decontamination
Information on Legal Disposal
D.E.Q.
State federal environmental protection agencies
require you to call a clean-up specialist to
properly dispose of all contaminated materials in
a hazardous waste disposal site
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Planning for Decontamination
Notification Procedures
Health care facilities can use pre-planned
procedures to minimize the spread of
contamination
but only if notified in time
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Types of Decontamination

• 1) Specific when hazardous material is
  positively identified and specific decon
  procedures are known

The Oregon Poison Center can provide specific
decontamination information for specific products
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Types of Decontamination

• 2) Non-specific
• when specific decon procedures are not known
• when the specific decon materials needed are not
  available
• when hazardous material is unidentified

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Types of Decontamination

• Non-specific decontamination is also known as
  Field decontamination
• Because field decon requirements vary with the
  magnitude of the incident and the hazards of the
  materials involved, three levels have been
  identified...

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Levels of Field Decon
LEVEL 3
Level 1

• there is at least a likelihood that an exposure
  has occurred, but no one is certain

LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
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Levels of Field Decon
Level 1 Example

• First responders in structural firefighters
  protective clothing and SCBA enter from upwind,
  read the materials name on the side of a leaking
  55-gallon drum, and quickly exit the immediate
  area

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Levels of Field Decon
Level 1 Example

• Level 1 decon would be appro-priate because
  contamination is likely to have occurred, but not
  definitely known

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Levels of Field Decon
LEVEL 3
Level 2

• when you can plainly see that contamination of
  clothing has occurred, but the skin has not been
  exposed or irritated by the chemical

LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
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Levels of Field Decon

• First responders attempt to identify the involved
  material, but cant read the name on the ruptured
  drum

Level 2 Example
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Levels of Field Decon

• While rolling the drum over, one worker splashes
  liquid onto her protective clothing, and both
  have stepped in the spilled liquid
• Neither person has experienced any skin contact
  or skin irritation

Level 2 Example
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Levels of Field Decon
Level 2 Example

• Level 2 decon would be appropriate because
  contamination is known to have occurred, even if
  skin contact or irritation is not evident

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Levels of Field Decon
LEVEL 3
Level 3

• whenever the chemical has come into direct
  contact with the skin
• when the skin has at least been irritated by the
  chemical

LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
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Levels of Field Decon
Level 3 Example

• First responder who splashed the material on her
  protective clothing realizes, within a short
  time, that the material has eaten small holes
  through the clothing and her skin is beginning to
  burn

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Levels of Field Decon
Level 3 Example

• Level 3 decon would be appropriate because
  contamination is known to have occurred and skin
  contact or irritation is evident

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Pre-decontamination Phase

• 1) Assign a Decontamination Officer

Decon operations will need someone assigned to
oversee the work
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Decon Officer Responsibilities

• establishes the decon corridor and defines
  perimeters that are clearly identifiable

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Decon Officer Responsibilities

• identifies the specific equipment that should
  be provided in the decon area, based on the
  specific decon needs

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Decon Officer Responsibilities

• supervises the overall decon process from
  outside the decon corridor
• communicates with personnel who are performing
  decon or who are exiting the hot zone

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Decon Officer Responsibilities

• ensures that all contaminated personnel exit
  the hot zone through the decon corridor

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Decon Officer Responsibilities

• ensures that water used for decon is contained
  for proper disposal along with contaminated
  clothing or equipment that cannot be
  decontaminated

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Decon Officer Responsibilities

• MOST IMPORTANTLY
• establishes a level of safety that will prevent
  contamination from spreading outside the hot zone

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Pre-decontamination Phase
2) Establish the Decon Corridor

• Remember decon priorities
• a) life
• b) environment
• c) property equipment

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria
Decon corridor
Incident site

• Topography The decontamination corridor should
  be located on a level surface, upwind and upgrade
  from the incident

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria
Incident site

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Decon

• Distance From Spill A minimum of 100 feet shall
  be maintained between the decontamination area
  and the spill for minor incidents

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria
Incident site
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Decon

• Distance From Spill A minimum of 500 feet shall
  be maintained between the decontamination area
  and the spill for major incidents

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria
Incident site

• Perimeters At hazardous material incidents,
  inner HOT and outer COLD security perimeters
  (zones) will be established

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria

• Perimeters The entrance into the Hot zone must
  be by a controlled access point

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria

• Perimeters The entrance into the Decon corridor
  is the controlled exit point from the HOT zone

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria

• Perimeters The exit from the decon corridor
  opens into the operational COLD zone

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria

• Markings Use stakes or cones and brightly
  colored perimeter tape to clearly identify the
  decontamination corridor

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Decon Corridor Location Criteria

• Markings Set up a flag or pennant for monitoring
  wind direction