Chapter 14
HAZWOPER
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Fall Protection
• Fall protection is a standard designed to
reduce or eliminate injuries from falls.
• The standard requires fall protection to
be used when a technician needs
access, movement, or works at an
elevation of 6 feet or higher.
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Figure 14-2 HAZWOPER
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Hoisting Equipment
• Hoisting systems are used to safely
raise, lower, and move loads that are
too heavy to moved manually.
• The most difficult aspect of the job is
estimating the load.
• Loads should be suspended no longer
than necessary.
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HAZWOPER is categorized as follows:
• Emergency Response – first responder awareness
level, first responder operation level, and hazardous
materials technicians and specialist level
• Hazardous Waste Operations – Incident command
system, scene safety and control, spill control and
containment, decontamination procedures,
emergency termination, or all clear
• Hazard Protection, Prevention and Control – terms
and definitions, PPE levels, identifying hazardous
materials and hazards initiating an emergency
response, avoiding hazards, entry of hazardous
materials into the human body, and use of field
monitors and field survey instruments
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The HAZWOPER standard defines five
levels for emergency responders
• First responder – awareness level
• First responder – operations level
• Hazardous materials technician level
• Hazardous material specialist
• On-scene incident commander
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First Responder –
Awareness Level
The first responder – awareness level is
directed at individuals who witness or
discover a hazardous chemical release
and who have received emergency
response training.
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First Responder –
Operations Level
• When a hazardous chemical release
occurs, the process technicians working
on the unit specific to the release will
attempt to respond.
• It is virtually impossible to pull a highly
trained emergency response team who
would know the unit a fraction as well as
the technicians.
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Emergency Response
• Emergency response is defined as a
loss of containment of a chemical or the
potential for loss of containment that
results in an emergency response
situation requiring an immediate
response.
• Emergency response procedures are
applied to every individual working for a
company.
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Hazardous Waste Operations
• Hazardous waste operations in the CPI
involve the use of a complex incident
command system. The ICS coordinates
all emergency response activity.
• Hazardous waste operations are
classified into three categories:
• Small hazards
• Medium-sized hazards
• Large hazards
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Scene Safety and Control
• Hot zone - the area around the incident
where contamination has occurred.
• Warm zone – used to decontaminate
technicians leaving the hot zone.
• Cold zone – a staging area where the
incident command post is established.
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Figure 14-3 Scene Safety and Control
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Spill Control and Containment
Absorbents, adsorbents, curbing and
diking, segregated sewers, earthen
dams, and fire monitors are devices
used to control chemical spills and
releases.
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Decontamination Procedures
In a decontamination procedure,
anything that comes into contact with a
hazardous chemical is neutralized in the
warm zone.
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Hazard Identification
During a chemical release the
identification of the material is
important, the following procedures
must be completed quickly and from a
safe distance:
– Determine the location of the release.
– Analyze the composition of the material.
– Identify other characteristics.
– Report and discuss with area technicians
and supervisors.
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Unit Monitors and Field
Survey Instruments
• Draeger pumps are portable vacuumtype devices used to collect a
representative gas or vapor sample to
check for a known contaminant.
• Explosimeters are used to determine
whether there are sufficient
concentrations of a combustible gas
mixture to produce a fire or explosion.
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Bunker Gear
Includes the following:
– Gloves – special heat-resistant gloves
– Boots – special heat-resistant material
– Coats – special heat-resistant material
– Helmet – special heat-resistant material
with a face shield
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Cutting, Welding, and Brazing
Produce toxic fumes, generate
ultraviolet radiation and electricity, and
can easily start a fire.
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