Hazardous Materials Operations

1
Safety at HazMat Incidents
2

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

3
Safety at HazMat IncidentsOverview

• 1) The role of attitude
• 2) Chemical hazard classes
• 3) Initial response
• 4) Establishing perimeters
• 5) Scene size-up
• 6) Rescue considerations
• 7) Scene control
• 8) Legal requirements
• 9) Toxic exposure
• 10) Personal exposure records

4
Safety at HazMat Incidents

• Its a matter of attitude

5
1) The Role of Attitude

• All the safety training in the world is only as
  good as the attitude of the person apply-ing the
  safety principles

6
1) The Role of Attitude

• Peoples attitudes are cyclical in nature
• These attitude cycles influence the level of
  safety at any HazMat incident

7
1) The Role of Attitude

• All people have a tendency to deviate from
  maintaining high levels of safety
• Inexperienced emergency responders tend to view
  maintaining a high level of safety as being
  overkill

8
Negative safety attitudes promote

• Carelessness . . . It doesnt matter
• Fatalism . . . If it happens, it happens
• Recklessness . . . Danger is the spice of life!
• Ignorance . . . I didnt know it would explode
• Cynicism . . . Safety is kid's stuff
• Laziness . . . Its too much trouble
• Overconfidence . . . Ill never get hurt

9
Positive safety attitudes promote

• Planning ahead . . . Ill use the safe method
• Openness to new ideas Good suggestion!
• Knowing your goals . . . I want to improve
• Faith . . . Ill do my best
• Willingness . . . Ill fix it now
• Alertness . . . Ill have to watch out all
• the time

10
Use Safe Procedures

• Experienced emergency responders tend to use
  similar basic procedures and strategies
• Experienced emergency responders develop an acute
  awareness of potential secondary and tertiary
  hazards

11
Think Safety !

• Utilize recognized procedures that incorporate
  safety principles designed for your protection

12
Experienced responders expect

• something to go wrong
• to run out of air
• bad advice, incorrect or misinformation
• safety devices to fail
• contamination of personnel equipment
• to interface with the media
• Murphys law to prevail

13
Experienced responders

• Are aware of the phenomenon known as synergistic
  effect, where the joint action of chemicals
  working together can cause far greater danger
  than if each chemical were dealt with separately

14
2) Chemical hazard classes
15

Hazardous materials can be

• explosive
• flammable
• thermally unstable
• reactive
• poisonous
• infectious
• radioactive
• corrosive

or any combination of these
16
Hazard Classes

• The DOT system of placards and labels classifies
  hazardous materials by major hazard class

17
Example Acrylonitrile

• flammable liquid
• poisonous liquid
• thermally unstable
• carcinogenic to humans

DOT hazard class flammable liquid
18
Application Step
19
Hazard ClassesSystem Limitations
20
Safety Keypoint 1

• Always consider the possibility of multiple
  hazard categories in each hazard class

21
3) Initial Response

• Use a safe approach dont get too close!
• Position your vehicle properly!

22
Safety Keypoint 2

• Approach all HazMat incidents from upwind,
  upgrade, and upstream, positioning vehicles and
  apparatus headed away from the incident scene

23
4) Establishing Perimeters andStaging Areas

• Determine safe distances
• Establish a uniform procedure
• Maintain your distance
• Establish staging areas

24
Examples of safe minimum distances

• Open areas 1,000 ft
• Residential one block
• Light commercial one block
• Large complexes 500 ft
• Incident hidden by building 500 ft

Stage incoming units at least 2,500 upwind from
the incident
25
Distance is an ally use it to your advantage

• Distance Safety Factors
• 100' 1
• 200' 2 times
• 300' 4 times
• 400' 16 times
• 500' 256 times

26
Staging Area

• A safe haven for personnel and equipment that
  allows a three-minute scene access from a safe
  distance should the incident suddenly escalate