IH 490: Module 1- Intro to hazardous material

BLEVE:

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion

deadliest industrial accident in the US

Texas City Disaster: Grandcamp (cargo ship) explosion in 1947

main issue with Bayer Pesticide plant incident in Institute, WV:

responders couldn't get info about chemicals that were involved in the process or the location within the plan

describe the Texas City (Grandcamp) disaster:

2300 tons of ammonium nitrate on board. the captain refused to use water because it would damage cargo & tried to suppress flames by closing ventilation systems and hatches - 2 ships exploded, 600 people dead, 5000 people injured and 1/3 of cities homes destroyed

Approximately how many hazardous materials are listed in the 49 CFR 172.101 hazardous materials table?

3,700

DECIDE process

D-determine presence of hazardous materials E-estimate likely harm with no intervention C-choose response objectives I-identify options D-do the best option E-evaluate progress

LEPC

Local Emergency Planning Committee

generic definition of hazmats

any substance that may injure responders or other people, property, or the environment

Waverly, Tennessee disaster:

derailment of rail car containing 27,871 gallons of liquid petroleum gas; explosion during unloading of damaged rail car; 16 people killed with extensive city damage

1997 Birmingham, Alabama incident:

fire occurred in a large warehouse but the information at the time didn't indicate the presence of chemicals so it was treated like a typical structural fire; actually, there was a presence of Durban, which the by-product smoke exposed firefighters/residents and killed many fish

personnel who are likely to discover or witness a hazardous substance emergency; roles include avoiding the area, isolating the area and make proper notification... should involve NO potential exposure to incident hazards

first responder awareness level

personnel who are involved in an initial response for the purpose of protecting people, property and environment from hazmats. trained to respond defensively (don't try to stop the release at the source but rather work from a distance to control released material and keep it from spreading/prevent exposure)

first responder operations level

OSHA term:

hazardous CHEMICALS

personnel who respond with and provide support for hazardous material technicians; require more specific knowledge of substances involved

hazardous material specialist

DOT term:

hazardous materials

personnel who respond to an emergency to stop/prevent release of hazardous substances; assume OFFENSIVE role by approaching point of release to plug/patch/stop the release at the source

hazardous materials technician

EPA definition of hazardous waste:

hazardous substances with no commercial value; regulated by EPA under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

EPA terms (3):

hazardous substances, extremely hazardous substances, and hazardous wastes

Why are hazardous materials responses so much different than normal emergency service operations?

mistakes during hazardous materials operations or failure to take appropriate actions can lead to a very large number of civilian casualties or property/environment damage

personnel who will assume control of the incident scene beyond first responder awareness level; senior emergency response official will become the individual in charge of the site-specific Incident Common System

on-scene incident commander

OSHA definition of hazardous chemicals:

pose unreasonable hazard to people in the workplace or to community if released (covered under OSHA's Haz Comm standard- SDS required for each hazardous chemical by employer)

Bhopal, India disaster:

release of methyl isocyanate gas from Union Carbide plant; scrubbers, flare system and cooling pumps not in service at the time; 3500 people killed and 300,000 injured

three components of emergency preparedness:

training, communication, community planning

8 step process of hazard response:

site management and control identify the problem hazard and risk evaluation select personal protective clothing and equipment information management and resource coordination implement response objective decontamination terminate the incident

Benner's common definition of hazardous materials:

substance that jumps out of its container at you when something goes wrong and hurts or harms the things it touches

EPA definition of extremely hazardous substance:

substances listed in Title III of Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act; represent an extreme hazard to their communities if they are released because of their toxic, chemical or physical properties

Department of Transportation definition of hazardous materials:

substances or materials that are capable of posing unreasonable risk to safety, health or property when transported in commerce

rural West Virginia example in video:

technician was working on a propane tank next to a store; during the work, the area was never evacuated so vapors continued to seep into the store unbeknownst to the employees; propane eventually hit an ignition source and killed technicians and EMTs (30 minutes between release and explosion where evacuation could have occurred)

EPA definition of hazardous substance:

term applied to substances that are designated under the Clean Water Act or Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CWA or CERCLA) as posing a threat to waterways or the environment if released

1988 Kansas City, Missouri incident:

two fire service engines responded to a fire in a trailer on a construction site; there was no way of knowing that the trailer contained explosives because the placard had been removed; explosives detonated and caused a massive explosion felt for miles

difference between Mike Callan's definition of unsafe v. dangerous atmospheres

unsafe atmospheres are those in which a hazard is present but atmosphere is not immediately dangerous without repeated exposure dangerous atmospheres pro an immediate danger to the life and health of responders and the public