Hazmat Awareness flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

HAZWOPER

OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.120 governing hazardous waste operations and emergency response; it sets training levels from awareness through incident commander and requires an annual refresher.

EPCRA (SARA Title III)

1986 federal law requiring facilities to report hazardous chemical inventories and releases to local planners and the public; it created Tier II reporting and community right-to-know.

RCRA

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976; regulates hazardous waste from generation through disposal and requires a manifest for off-site shipments.

Hazard Communication Standard

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200; requires chemical manufacturers to label containers and provide 16-section Safety Data Sheets to employers and workers.

DOT transport regulations

49 CFR Parts 100-185; cover classification, packaging, marking, labeling, shipping papers, placarding, and recurrent employee training at least every three years.

NFPA 704

Consensus standard for the hazard diamond: blue health, red flammability, yellow instability, and white special hazards such as water reactivity or oxidizing potential.

ERG yellow pages

Index section listing four-digit UN/NA identification numbers in numerical order with the corresponding guide page number and material name.

ERG green pages

Tables giving initial isolation distances and protective action distances for selected toxic inhalation hazard materials, keyed to small and large spills, day or night.

ERG blue pages

Alphabetical index of hazardous material names with corresponding guide numbers and UN/NA numbers; used when the material name is known but the number is not.

Placard Class 8

Corrosive materials placard; indicates a material that can destroy skin or corrode steel and aluminum, such as acids and bases.

UN/NA identification number

Four-digit code assigned to a hazardous material, displayed on orange panels, shipping papers, and packaging, used to locate the correct ERG guide page.

DOT Class 1 divisions

Explosives are divided into divisions 1.1 through 1.6; Division 1.1 carries a mass explosion hazard and Division 1.6 an extremely insensitive article hazard.

Shipping paper

Transport document listing proper shipping name, hazard class, UN/NA number, quantity, and emergency contact; it must be within the driver's reach in the cab.

Awareness-level responder

Recognizes hazmat presence, protects self and others by isolating the area and denying entry, and notifies trained responders; performs no product control actions.

Operations-level responder

Trained to perform defensive actions outside the hot zone, such as diking, damming, and containing runoff, without making contact with the released material.

National Response Center

Federal 24-hour reporting center at 1-800-424-8802 operated by the Coast Guard; receives notification of hazardous material releases nationwide.

CHEMTREC

24-hour chemical industry emergency call center providing product information and shipper contacts to responders during hazardous materials incidents.

Hazmat Group

ICS organizational element under Operations that manages entry, backup, decontamination, and technical research teams at a hazardous materials incident.

Safety Officer

ICS Command Staff position responsible for monitoring safety hazards, enforcing the site safety plan, and halting unsafe operations at the incident scene.

Level A protection

Fully encapsulating chemical-protective suit worn with SCBA; provides the highest available respiratory, skin, and eye protection for unknown or highly toxic materials.

Level B protection

SCBA with chemical-resistant clothing giving splash protection, but not vapor-tight encapsulation; used when respiratory hazard is unknown but skin contact is limited.

Level C protection

Air-purifying respirator with approved cartridges plus chemical-resistant clothing; permitted only when atmospheric concentrations are known to be below IDLH.

Level D protection

Work uniform or coveralls with no chemical or respiratory protection; suitable only for nuisance contamination with no atmospheric hazard present.

Emergency decontamination

Immediate gross washing with water of responders or victims at the hot/warm boundary to remove contamination before formal technical decontamination begins.

Hot zone

The exclusion area immediately surrounding the release where the highest contamination exists; only trained personnel in appropriate protective equipment may enter.

Time, distance, shielding

Core principles of radiological protection: minimizing exposure time, maximizing distance from the source, and adding shielding all reduce the radiation dose received.

Defensive operations

Actions taken from a safe distance outside the hot zone to contain a release, such as diking, damming, absorbing, or covering, without contacting the product.

Diking

Building a barrier of soil, sandbags, or absorbent to contain flowing liquid and prevent it from entering drains, waterways, or storm sewers.

Overpack drum

A larger salvage container used to place a leaking or damaged package inside so it can be transported without direct contact with the product.

Foam blanket

Layer of firefighting foam applied over a flammable liquid surface to suppress vapor generation and prevent ignition; AFFF and protein foams are common types.

Incident termination

Formal end of the emergency phase; includes responder decontamination, rehabilitation and medical evaluation, critique, documentation, and release of the site.

Critique/debrief

Post-incident review in which responders evaluate actions, identify strengths and weaknesses, and recommend improvements for future hazardous materials responses.