SAFETY SOLUTIONS: Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response

Protecting workers from hazardous materials is one of the biggest safety challenges. To help meet this need, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency A(EPA) have issued a joint standard on Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response - commonly called HAZWOPER.

Hazardous materials are substances that pose a serious threat to human health or the environment if they are improperly managed. Certain materials are listed by name as hazardous under laws passed by the EPA, OSHA and the Department of Transportation (DOT).

There are 9 classes of hazardous materials as listed by the Department of Transportation:

Class 1 - Explosives

Class 2 - Gases

Class 3 - Flammable Liquids

Class 4 - Flammable Solids, Spontaneously Combustible Materials and materials that are dangerous when wet.

Class 5 - Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides

Class 6 - Poisonous and Etiologic Materials

Class 7 - Radioactive Materials

Class 8 - Corrosives

Class 9 - Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials

The standard covers hazardous waste operations and emergency response that "involve employee exposure or the reasonable possibility for employee exposure to safety or health hazards."

Safety hazards include physical dangers such as fire or explosion.

Health hazards are chemicals and disease organisms that can cause illness, injury or death.

The HAZWOPER Standard requires employees who may be exposed to hazardous materials and/or hazardous waste operations to be trained.

Training shall be based on the duties and function to be performed by each responder of an emergency response organization. As a minimum first responders must be trained in the following areas:

• An understanding of what hazardous substances are, and the risks associated with then in an incident.

• An understanding of the potential outcomes associated with an emergency created when hazardous substances are present.

• The ability to recognize the presence of hazardous substances in an emergency.

• The ability to identify hazardous substances if possible.

• An understanding of the role of the first responder awareness individual in the employer's emergency response plan including site security.

For valuable information on the dangers of any hazardous material the MSDS (material safety data sheet) should be checked before an emergency occurs.

All employees of your company should be familiar with the company emergency response plan. Emergency response plans must be pre-approved by local authorities when outside help, such as the fire department would be called to the scene.

Proper response to an emergency will help save lives and prevent damage to property and the environment.

For more information, click on the Authors Biography at the top of this page.