HAZWOPER Hazardous Materials Technician

Responsibilities v Hazmat technicians must be fully trained to approach the point of release in order to plug, patch, or otherwise stop the release 1a

Responsibilities v Hazmat technicians must be able to demonstrate a competency in: 1b

Responsibilities v Performing the applicable skills of 29 CFR (q) v Understanding the information provided in 29 CFR c

Responsibilities v Retrieving and using written and electronic information relative to response decision making v Developing strategies for stopping a release 1d

Responsibilities v Understanding the potential hazards of a hazardous release 1e

v Understanding the procedures for implementing response actions consistent with the emergency response plan Responsibilities 1f

Responsibilities v Establishing exposure zones and proper decontamination and medical stations v Selecting proper PPE v Analyzing an incident to determine the presence of hazardous substances 1g

Responsibilities v Determining the physical and chemical properties of a substance and its container v Determining the types of hazardous substance transportation containers involved in a release 1h

Responsibilities v The information provided in NFPA’s standard number 472 1i

Types of hazards a technician may encounter v Chemical exposure v Fire and explosion v Oxygen deficiency v Ionizing radiation 2a

Types of hazards a technician may encounter v Biological hazards v Safety hazards v Electrical hazards v Heat stress 2b

Types of hazards a technician may encounter v Cold exposure v Noise v Confined space entry hazards 2c

Routes for chemical exposure v The majority of toxic substances enter the body through breathing v Other means include absorption, ingestion, and injection 3a

Routes for chemical exposure v Chemical exposures are divided into two groups: AcuteAcute ChronicChronic 3b

Routes for chemical exposure v Symptoms from acute exposures occur during or shortly after exposure to a high concentration v Symptoms from chronic exposures occur over longer periods of time after exposures to low concentrations 3c

Personal protective equipment v PPE shields and isolates individuals from chemical, physical, and biological hazards 4a

Personal protective equipment v Types of PPE include: respiratory equipmentrespiratory equipment protective clothingprotective clothing bootsboots glovesgloves 4b

v No single combination of PPE is capable of protecting against all hazards Personal protective equipment 4c

Decontamination v Decontamination removes and neutralizes contaminants that could permeate: protective clothingprotective clothing respiratory equipmentrespiratory equipment toolstools vehiclesvehicles 5a

Training v Hazmat technicians receive at least 24 hours of training equal to the first responder level, plus an annual refresher 6a

Training v Hazmat technicians should be trained to: 6b

Training v Implement the employer’s emergency response plan v Classify, identify, and verify known hazardous materials by field survey instruments and equipment 6c

Training v Function within an assigned role in the incident command system v Select and use specialized chemical PPE v Understand hazard and risk assessment techniques 6d

Training v Perform advanced control, containment, and/or confinement operations v Understand and implement decontamination procedures v Understand termination procedures 6e

Training v Understand basic chemical and toxicological terminology and behavior 6f