Hazmat Awareness cheat sheet

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 (HAZWOPER) establishes five responder training levels: awareness, operations, hazardous materials technician, specialist, and incident commander.

CERCLA (1980) created the Superfund for release cleanup and requires notification of the National Response Center when a reportable quantity is released.

EPCRA / SARA Title III (1986) requires facilities to submit Safety Data Sheets, Tier II chemical inventory reports, and emergency release notifications to state and local planners.

DOT 49 CFR Parts 100-185 governs classification, packaging, marking, labeling, shipping papers, and placarding of hazardous materials in transportation.

RCRA (1976) regulates hazardous waste from generation to disposal ('cradle to grave') and requires a manifest for off-site shipments.

The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires container labels and Safety Data Sheets formatted in 16 standardized sections.

HAZWOPER requires an annual 8-hour refresher for responders; DOT hazmat employees require recurrent training at least every 3 years.

NFPA 704 and NFPA 1072 are consensus standards rather than statutes; NFPA 1072 defines responder competencies by level.

The ERG uses four color-coded sections: yellow (UN/NA number index), blue (material name index), orange (protective action guides), and green (initial isolation and protective action distances).

Nine DOT hazard classes: 1 explosives, 2 gases, 3 flammable and combustible liquids, 4 flammable solids, 5 oxidizers and organic peroxides, 6 toxic and infectious substances, 7 radioactive, 8 corrosives, 9 miscellaneous.

UN/NA identification numbers are four-digit codes shown on orange panels, placards, or shipping papers and are used to locate the ERG guide page.

NFPA 704 diamond: blue = health, red = flammability, yellow = instability, white = special hazards such as W for water reactivity or OX for oxidizer.

Shipping papers must state proper shipping name, hazard class, UN/NA number, quantity, and emergency contact, and be within the driver's reach in the cab.

Container shape is a clue: MC-306/DOT-406 for flammable liquids, MC-331 for pressurized flammable gases such as propane, MC-312/DOT-412 for corrosives.

Class 1 is divided into divisions 1.1 through 1.6; Division 1.1 indicates a mass explosion hazard.

Release indicators include dead or discolored vegetation, vapor clouds, pooling liquids, unusual odors, frost on containers, and damaged or bulging containers.

Awareness-level responders recognize hazmat presence, isolate the area, deny entry, and notify trained personnel; they take no product control actions.

Operations-level responders perform defensive actions outside the hot zone, such as diking, damming, and containing runoff, without contacting the material.

The National Response Center (1-800-424-8802) is the federal 24-hour point of contact for reporting hazardous materials releases.

CHEMTREC provides 24-hour chemical emergency information and can reach shippers and manufacturers during an incident.

NIMS/ICS structure includes the Incident Commander plus Command Staff (Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer) and General Staff sections: Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration.

The hazmat group sits under Operations and typically includes entry, backup, decontamination, and technical research teams.

Notification chains commonly include 911, the facility emergency coordinator, the state environmental agency, the NRC, and CHEMTREC.

The ERG green pages list initial isolation distances and protective action distances for selected toxic inhalation hazard materials.

Level A: fully encapsulating chemical-protective suit with SCBA, providing the highest respiratory, skin, and eye protection.

Level B: SCBA with chemical-resistant clothing that provides splash protection but is not vapor-tight.

Level C: air-purifying respirator with approved cartridges plus chemical-resistant clothing; used only when concentrations are known to be below IDLH.

Level D: work uniform only, with no respiratory or chemical protection.

Structural firefighting turnout gear is not designed for chemical protection and is not acceptable for hazmat entry.

Three control zones: hot (exclusion), warm (contamination reduction), and cold (support).

Emergency decontamination (gross water wash) is performed immediately at the hot/warm line before technical decontamination begins.

Technical decontamination typically follows gross wash, secondary wash, rinse, drying, and medical monitoring; runoff must be contained.

Time, distance, and shielding are the primary protective actions for radiological materials.

Defensive actions from a safe distance include diking, damming, diverting, absorbing, and covering; none involve contact with the product.

Never apply water to water-reactive materials, and contain all runoff generated by water application.

Foam blankets suppress flammable liquid vapors; protein, fluoroprotein, and AFFF foams are common agents.

Overpack drums allow a damaged container to be packaged for transport without direct handling of the product.

Isolate the scene and establish perimeters upwind and uphill, and deny entry to unauthorized persons.

Do not attempt rescue inside the hot zone without appropriate training, PPE, and a designated backup team.

Termination begins after the emergency phase ends and includes responder decontamination, rehabilitation, and medical evaluation.

Post-incident steps include critique/debrief, documentation, exposure records, evidence preservation, and release of the scene to the responsible party.