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Andrew Burgie, M.S.

Introduction to Occupational Safety & Health: Haz ardous W aste Op erations and E mergency R esponse ( HAZWOPER ). Andrew Burgie, M.S. Center for Occupational & Environmental Health at Hunter College. Presentation Overview. Basic Concepts in Protecting Worker Health & Safety

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Andrew Burgie, M.S.

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  1. Introduction to Occupational Safety & Health: Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Andrew Burgie, M.S. Center for Occupational & Environmental Health at Hunter College

  2. Presentation Overview • Basic Concepts in Protecting Worker Health & Safety • Hazardous Waste Legislation • HAZWOPER Courses • Questions and Comments

  3. Basic Concepts in Protecting Worker Health & Safety • Health & Safety Standards & Terminology • OSHA Regulation “General Duty Clause”

  4. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) - Labor • Covers only private employers • State may have public employee version of OSHA standard as long as it is “at least as stringent” as the federal standard • OSHA’s facility inspection program can be random, planned, complaint-driven, by referral, or accident-driven • Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) are the legally enforceable exposure limits used

  5. Standard Definitions OSHA PELs : Occupational Safety and Health Administration Permissible Exposure Limits • Employee exposed for 8 hours/day; 40 hours/week; until retirement without experiencing adverse health effects • Legally enforceable exposure limits

  6. OSHA General Duty Clause “Employee has right to safe and healthy workplace” • Employer must provide safe & healthy workplace • Employee must abide by rules and regulations insuring a safe & healthy workplace

  7. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Important document that explains how to protect a worker against the physical and chemical properties of a substance used at work. The document shall identify: • Substance Name and Hazardous Ingredients • Physical Properties and Fire and Explosion Data • Substance Stability • Short and Long Term Health Hazard Data • Proper Use and Handling of Substance • Proper Protective Clothing to be Worn by Worker

  8. Hazardous Waste Legislation

  9. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Controlled Waste RCRA - Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (1976) • Waste treatment was addressed from “cradle to grave” (waste creation to final disposal) • Only applies to active facilities and future facilities and does not address abandoned or historical waste sites

  10. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Uncontrolled Waste CERCLA – Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (1980) • Chemical companies were taxed and that money was put into a “Superfund” to clean up abandoned waste sites • “Hazard Ranking System (HRS)” was developed to rank abandoned waste sites from “most dangerous to least dangerous” • “HRS” resulted in National Priorities List

  11. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Uncontrolled Waste SARA – Superfund Amendments & Reauthorization Act (1985) • Extended CERCLA’s authority to address waste • Community Right-to-Know enabled public to identify neighborhood industrial properties that generate hazardous materials • Toxic Release Inventories enabled public to identify neighborhood industrial properties that released hazardous materials into air, soil and water • www.epa.gov/tri

  12. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) - Labor “HAZWOPER” – Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (1989) • Requires health and safety training for persons managing hazardous materials

  13. HAZWOPER Course Examples

  14. HAZWOPER Training Courses • HAZWOPER Worker – 40 Hours (initial training) • Additional 3 days on-site training after course • HAZWOPER Refresher – 8 Hours (annual training) • HAZWOPER Supervisor – 8 Hours • Specialized Sites (RCRA TSD) – 24 Hours • Emergency Response (Specialized Trainings) • Awareness - 8 Hours • Operations - 8 Hours • Technician - 24 Hours • Specialist - 24 Hours • On-Scene Incident Command - 8 Hours

  15. HAZWOPER – Training Highlights Hazard Recognition, Evaluation, & Control • Site Characterization & Analysis • Site Control • Engineering Controls, Work Practices, etc. • Monitoring of Site and Personnel • Handling of Hazardous Waste Containers • Decontamination Procedures • Emergency Response

  16. HAZWOPER – Hazard Recognition How can you recognize hazards? • What Types of Hazards Exist? • What Threats are Posed by Careless Disposal? • When Is It Hazardous Waste? • DOT Emergency Response Guidebook

  17. What Types of Hazards Exist? • Chemical Hazards(corrosive, ignitable, toxic, reactive, etc.) • Biological Hazards (bacteria, viruses, fungi) • Physical Hazards (heat, noise, radiation) • Safety Hazards (slips, trips, falls) • ErgonomicHazards (repetitive stress injuries)

  18. Threats Posed by Careless Disposal • Direct Contact • Hazardous chemical spill on skin • Fire and/or Explosions • Oil tanker on fire on highway • Poison via the Food Chain • Eating fish contaminated with mercury

  19. Threats Posed by Careless Disposal • Air Pollution • Breathing in vehicle fumes or smog • Surface Water Contamination • A factory dumpling chemicals in a river (PCBs) • Groundwater Contamination • A large dry cleaner spilling chemicals into the ground

  20. Hazardous Materials Spill /Leak Spill/leak ground penetration analysis of vehicle fuel

  21. “Superfund” Site A.L. TAYLOR SITE (VALLEY OF DRUMS), BROOKS, KY Record of Decision (liability) 06/18/1986 – Famous Superfund Site

  22. When Is It Hazardous Waste? If & When hazardous substances (defined as ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic materials) are discarded or intended to be discarded such as: • Non-usable commercial chemical products • Used oil from car repair shop • Contaminated soil, water, or other debris from chemical spill cleanup • Oil spill in ocean from oil tanker

  23. 2004 Emergency Response Guidebook – Hazard ID

  24. Department of Transportation Vehicle Placards – Hazard ID

  25. HAZWOPER – Hazard Evaluation How can you evaluate hazards? • Monitoring of Site and Personnel • Air, soil, and water monitoring • Worker exposure monitoring

  26. Direct-Reading Devices for Air Photo Ionization Detector (PID) – volatile organic compounds (counts number of ions in air) Colorimetric tubes – gases, fumes, vapors, mists (tube medium changes color) Four Gas Meter / PID combo – explosive gas, oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide / VOCs

  27. Direct-Reading Devices for Air PID – Contaminated air pumped through tubes by air pumping device – display number increases, if contaminant is present in significant quantity Colorimetric tubes – Contaminated air pumped through tubes by air pumping device – tubes change color, if contaminant is present in significant quantity

  28. HAZWOPER – Hazard Control How can you control hazards? • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) • Protective Clothing (suits, gloves, boots, etc.) • Respiratory Protective Equipment • Remediation Technologies (site-specific)

  29. Protective Clothing - Suits LEVEL “A” LEVEL “B” LEVEL “C”

  30. Protective Equipment - Respiratory Air tank “half-face” “full-face”

  31. Remediation Technologies • Chemical • Neutralization, Precipitation • Oxidation Reduction • Ion Exchange • Disinfection • Physical • Screening, Sedimentation • Filtration • Stripping, Air and Steam • Biological • Aerobic • Anaerobic

  32. Remediation Technologies “Capped” landfill

  33. Remediation Technologies Removing Chemical Vapor from Soil

  34. Hazardous Site Conversion Luminous ProcessorsAthens, Georgia http://www.epa.gov/superfund/action/process/mgmtrpt.htm

  35. CONCLUSION • QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION _____________________________________ ANDREW BURGIE, M.S. Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at Hunter College

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