HazMat Primer: Steps to Ready Teams for Hazmat Response

In September, two employees died in a suspected hazardous materials incident at Valley Proteins Inc. in North Carolina.

Authorities believe workers were exposed to hydrogen sulfide while working in a pit outside the plant, which collects, renders and recycles animal byproducts and supermarket waste. Exposure to extremely high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide can inhibit cellular respiration, damage the central nervous system, and quickly lead to death, according to OSHA.

A company statement cites that the accident “may have occurred by lack of following company safety procedures, in which both employees were trained. We are in the process of a full investigation working with all agencies involved to find out what exactly occurred.”

The tragedy underscores the hazards workers can encounter in industrial facilities and the importance of proper protection, solid training and an adherence to company safety policies.

HAZMAT Response Levels

Whether your company exposes workers to hydrogen sulfide, toluene, ammonia, sulfuric accident or other hazards, it’s important to ensure employees handle hazardous materials correctly. Injury and even death can occur when employees mishandle, incorrectly transport or misuse hazardous materials.

How your firm manages and resolves HazMat incidents hinges on the knowledge, training, and skill of your employees. The first step is knowing the four HazMat response levels defined by OSHA and training each employee to the correct one.

First Responder Awareness Level: Personnel who may witness or discover a hazardous release as they do their jobs. Companies must train them to recognize the concern, start an emergency response sequence, and notify proper authorities.

HazmatMag notes in “A guide to the four levels of Hazardous Materials (HazMat) response,” that these individuals should:

• Understand what hazardous materials are
• Know the situations and places where hazardous materials may be present
• Recognize markings, placards, or labels that indicate hazardous materials.  
• Be familiar with documentation and resources used to identify hazardous materials (such as the Emergency Response Guidebook)

First Responder Operations Level: Individuals who comprise the initial response after someone identifies a HazMat release. They work to protect people, property and the environment from harmful effects in the incident. According to HazmatMag, these individuals:

• Help control and minimize the spread of the HazMat release.
• Understand defensive HazMat techniques like absorption, damming, diverting, vapor dispersion, and suppression
• Understand basic air monitoring
• Know technical and mass decontamination
• Assist with evacuation and rescue
• Establish hazard zones
• Preserve evidence

Hazardous Materials Technician: Individuals who work to mitigate the incident. These professionals approach the point of release to plug, patch, or stop the release of a hazardous substance. HazmatMag says these individuals:

• Perform advanced risk-based hazard assessments to understand the incident scope
• Select and operate advanced detection, monitoring and testing equipment
• Select and use specialized Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Understand decontamination procedures and control equipment use

Hazardous Materials Specialist: Individuals who respond with and provide support to hazardous materials technicians. Their duties parallel those of HazMat technicians, but they have more targeted knowledge of the substances they need to contain. This expert also acts as a site liaison with federal, state, local, and other government authorities regarding site activities.

To what level should companies train employees or firefighters? Experts recommend training everyone to at least an operations level, especially when employees work at facilities with specific hazard threats such as railways, pipelines, maritime or aviation facilities, ag operations, and others.

HazMat Protection Levels

Because technicians and specialists may get very close to a Hazmat release, they also must understand the different levels of HazMat protection. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a four-tier system to ensure responders don the right level of protection at a HazMat release.

Level A: The most protected level designed to safeguard against highly toxic and dangerous substances, including biological and radioactive. Here, the hazardous material poses a threat to the respiratory system, eyes and skin, and first responders need full protection from liquids and gases that includes:

• Fully encapsulated chemical protective suit
• Positive-pressure demand, full-face Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
• Inner and outer chemical-resistant gloves
• Chemical-resistant safety boots

Level B: Workers know the hazardous materials present but do not require a high level of skin protection. Here, first responders don protection as they perform an initial site characterization and analysis. Their PPE will include:

• Hooded chemical-resistant clothing or suit. (A Level B protection suit provides liquid splash protection but no protection against vapors.)
• Positive-pressure demand, full-face Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
• Inner and outer chemical-resistant gloves
• Chemical-resistant safety boots    

Level C: Responders know the type and concentrations of hazardous chemicals but do not need SCBA and can wear less body protections because toxic materials in the air are not high enough to damage skin or eyes. The gear they wear comprises:

• Full-face or half-mask, air-purifying respirator (NIOSH approved)
• Chemical-resistant clothing (one-piece coverall, hooded two-piece chemical splash suit, chemical-resistant hood and apron, or disposable chemical-resistant coveralls)
• Inner and outer chemical-resistant gloves

Level D: The lowest level of HazMat. It does not require protection for the eyes, lungs, or skin. Level D protection works well in situations where HazMat materials do not pose a splash or gas risk. Where Levels, A, B, and C require head-to-toe coverage, Level D does not. PPE at this level comprises:

• Coveralls
• Safety boots
• Safety goggles or glasses

HazMat Training

While an awareness of the “4s” of hazmat: the four HazMat response levels and the four levels of PPE provide a framework for response and safety, how well responders manage and mitigate HazMat incidents hinges on training, knowledge and skill. Workers in industrial settings require meaningful and robust training tailored to their work environment.

Though the law mandates this training whenever hazardous materials are present, companies should make its lessons an essential part of daily operations. The hazardous materials you work with bear an ominous descriptor for a reason: they present a hazard to health, safety, property or the environment.

Educators design HazMat training for individuals who handle hazardous materials or respond to HazMat leaks, spreads, spills, or accidents. HazMat training typically covers how to:

• Protect themselves and others when exposed to hazardous materials
• Identify the presence of hazardous materials
• Research and evaluate exposure information

• Make decisions and execute first responder actions
• Mitigate hazardous situations
• Comply with current laws and standards

There are classes geared toward each level of HazMat response.

Effective HazMat classes allow students to demonstrate their HazMat skills in classroom settings, simulations, and “real life” environments. Training should be both realistic and hands-on to ensure it prepares students for live incidents.

This training also should be fun. Author Rich Mahaney shares how to make HazMat training interesting and fun in “Having Fun Teaching Hazmat Training.”

The Valley Proteins Inc. incident targets the tragic outcomes of workers who do not follow company safety procedures when working with hazardous chemicals or respond incorrectly to a HazMat incident. Trained workers can classify hazardous materials according to risk, emergency incidents by severity, and respond accordingly.