CHMM (IHMM) key terms

Discarded material that is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic, or that appears on a regulatory list, and therefore poses a risk to health or the environment when managed.

Waste classified as hazardous because it exhibits one of four measurable properties: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity, as determined by defined test methods or generator knowledge.

Waste named on regulatory lists of hazardous materials, such as process wastes, discarded commercial products, and acutely hazardous substances, regardless of whether it exhibits a characteristic.

A laboratory extraction test that simulates landfill leaching to determine whether a waste releases hazardous constituents at concentrations above regulatory thresholds.

The principle that a waste generator remains responsible for its hazardous waste from the point of generation through storage, transport, treatment, and final disposal, even after the material leaves the site.

The regulatory category assigned to a hazardous waste producer based on the quantity generated per month, which determines reporting, storage time limits, and accumulation requirements.

A designated location near the point of generation where hazardous waste is collected in containers before being moved to a central accumulation area, subject to volume and labeling limits.

The date hazardous waste first begins accumulating in a container or tank, which starts the regulatory clock limiting how long the material may be stored on site.

A multi-copy shipping document that tracks hazardous waste from generator to designated facility, records acknowledgments of receipt, and documents the chain of custody.

The standardized, multi-part shipping form required for hazardous waste transport that identifies the waste, its hazards, the generator, the transporter, and the receiving facility.

Documentation accompanying waste shipments that certifies the waste has been treated to meet disposal standards or declares the applicable treatment standards the receiving facility must achieve.

A permitted site that receives hazardous waste and treats, stores, or disposes of it under regulatory requirements including design standards, financial assurance, and closure obligations.

The practices governing hazardous waste containers, including compatibility with contents, closed lids, sound condition, proper labeling, and inspection to prevent leaks and releases.

The rule that a mixture of solid waste and listed hazardous waste is itself hazardous, unless the mixture qualifies for a specific regulatory exclusion or exemption.

The principle that waste generated from treating, storing, or disposing of hazardous waste remains hazardous, extending regulation to residues such as sludges, ashes, and treatment byproducts.

A standardized document providing hazard, composition, first-aid, handling, storage, and emergency information for a chemical product, used to inform worker protection and emergency planning.

An international framework for classifying chemicals and communicating hazards through standardized pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, and safety data sheet formats.

The worker right-to-know program requiring employers to inventory hazardous chemicals, obtain safety data sheets, label containers, and train employees on hazards and protective measures.

A regulatory limit on the airborne concentration of a substance that a worker may be exposed to over a specified averaging period, used to guide exposure controls.

An occupational exposure guideline established by a professional scientific committee, representing airborne concentrations believed safe for most workers over a working lifetime.

The process of measuring or estimating how much of a hazard reaches people through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact, considering concentration, duration, and frequency.

A structured evaluation combining hazard identification, dose-response, exposure analysis, and risk characterization to estimate the likelihood and severity of harm.

The decision process that selects and implements controls to reduce risk to acceptable levels, weighing hazard severity, exposure, cost, feasibility, and regulatory requirements.

A ranked approach to reducing hazards that prioritizes elimination and substitution, then engineering controls, administrative controls, and finally personal protective equipment.

Wearable gear such as gloves, respirators, goggles, and suits that shields workers from hazards, used as a last line of defense after other controls.

Equipment and programs that protect against airborne contaminants, requiring proper cartridge or filter selection, fit testing, medical clearance, and training.

A current record of the types, quantities, and locations of hazardous substances on site, used for planning, reporting, emergency response, and regulatory compliance.

A written document describing response procedures, evacuation routes, alarm systems, roles, and communication for fires, spills, releases, and other workplace emergencies.

The organized actions taken to contain, control, and clean up a release of hazardous material, including notification, isolation, protective measures, and proper disposal of cleanup debris.

A standardized management structure for emergency response that assigns clear roles for command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance across responding organizations.

Source reduction and environmentally sound practices that avoid generating waste or releasing pollutants, applied before recycling, treatment, or disposal options.

Efforts to reduce the quantity or toxicity of waste produced through process changes, material substitution, improved housekeeping, and reuse, lowering disposal burden and risk.

A preference order for managing materials that ranks prevention highest, followed by reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal as the least preferred option.

Liquid that has percolated through waste or soil and picked up dissolved or suspended contaminants, requiring collection and treatment to prevent groundwater pollution.

An engineered disposal site with liners, leachate collection, gas management, and cover systems designed to isolate waste and limit environmental releases.

Substances that react dangerously when mixed or stored together, producing heat, fire, toxic gas, or pressure, and therefore must be separated by distance, barrier, or secondary containment.

A barrier system such as a berm, dike, or double-walled tank that captures leaks or spills from primary containers so releases cannot reach soil or water.

A regulatory category assigned to transported hazardous materials, such as flammable liquid, corrosive, or oxidizer, that determines packaging, marking, labeling, and shipping paper requirements.

A carrier that moves hazardous materials or waste between sites and must meet packaging, placarding, emergency response, and documentation requirements during shipment.