HAZWOPER 29 CFR 1910.120 By Lynn Reese and Gina K. Brooks

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HAZWOPER 29 CFR 1910.120By 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

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Activities that are required when responding to
incidents can be divided into five broad,
interacting elements.

• Recognition

Identification of the substance involved and the
characteristics which determine its degree of
hazard.

• Evaluation

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.
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RECOGNITION

EVALUATION
INFORMATION
SAFETY
CONTROL
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Response System Hazards

• Toxic Hazards

• Fire and Explosion Hazards

• Corrosive Hazards

• Chemical Reactivity

• Safety Hazards

• Biological Hazards

• Radiation Hazards

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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).
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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.
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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 ltIncreasing Acidity Neutral
Increasing Basicitygt 0 1 2
3 4 5 6 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.
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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 gt AB
• Decomposition AB gt A B
• Single Replacement A BC gt B AC
• Double Replacement AB CD gt AD CB

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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.

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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.

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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.