1. Hazwoper— The Case of the Spilled Toluene
P O W E R P O I N T ® T R A I N I N G
Background for the Trainer:
This case and its training message primarily have to do with how to respond safely to a spill. Therefore it is most appropriate for any person who works with or around hazardous materials. This session is probably not appropriate for personnel who do not work with or around hazardous materials.
This training session presents a case study of an actual accident inspected and documented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The case presented in this training session is:
Accident:
Report ID:
Inspection:
You may choose to present this training information in a lecture format or make the training presentation interactive by engaging your class in discussions that will help them identify facts of the case, potential causes of the accident, and future accident prevention measures. In either case, students will benefit by learning from a real-life scenario.
Before beginning your training session, print and make copies of the one-page Case Study Student Handout, which is provided on the disc. The Case Study Student Handout can be used as a worksheet during the training session or as a take-away reminder once the training session is complete.
Also, print and make copies of the Case Study Quiz, which is provided on the disc as a fully customizable Word document. The students can take the quiz at the end of the training session in order to help reinforce the information presented. Note that the same quiz is included at the end of this PowerPoint® presentation as actual slides to review in class.
Consider taking pictures of spill emergency responders in your workplace as they respond to a drill. You can add these pictures to the presentation by inserting them into existing slides or creating new slides.
Make sure the trainees understand the message as you go along. Ask questions periodically to test their understanding.
Speaker’s Notes:
Welcome everyone. Today we will review a case study of an actual accident investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This is an actual tragic workplace accident that had real-life implications for the worker, the worker’s family, co-workers, and the employer. The Case Study may be disturbing and may even involve a fatality.
The purpose of this training session is to teach and reinforce the importance of properly responding to spills in our workplace in order to prevent tragic accidents. In particular, it deals with the following spill response procedures and not just tackling a spill without taking proper precautions. The intention is to learn from the accident and take steps to prevent a similar accident from occurring at our facility.
Hazwoper— The Case of the Spilled Toluene

2. Let’s Talk About HAZWOPER
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
Applies to facilities storing and using hazardous chemicals
Emergency Response Plan required
Only trained personnel respond to spills
All employees have a role in emergency response
Background for the Trainer:
Bring a copy of your company’s written Emergency Response Plan.
Speaker’s Notes:
HAZWOPER is the acronym used to describe Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. Employees who work at hazardous waste sites or facilities must be HAZWOPER trained. The training typically includes 40 hours of learning about hazardous materials, potential hazards, personal protective equipment, how to respond to an emergency, etc.
Facilities that store and use hazardous materials often choose to have employees trained to respond to spills and emergencies. These employees must be HAZWOPER trained. This training typically includes 24 hours of training. Facilities may also choose to use outside services, such as the fire department or an outside contractor, to respond to spills. When outside services are used, employees do not need to be HAZWOPER trained.
Part of HAZWOPER is having an Emergency Response Plan that includes how workers are alerted to chemical emergencies, evacuation procedures, spill response procedures, PPE, emergency equipment, decontamination, reporting procedures, etc.
The only personnel who should respond to a spill are those who are HAZWOPER trained.
All other employees have a role in emergency response; however, it is limited. They should be trained to what OSHA calls the “Awareness Level.” Employees should know how to recognize a spill, know how to report the spill, and know how to secure and evacuate the area around the spill.

3. Take a Look at the Facts Two workers notice a spill of toluene
They attempt to stop the spill and begin cleanup
Background for the Trainer:
Training Option: Pass out the Case Study Student Handout. You may have the students read the accident description to themselves before discussing it in the class, or you may use the bullet points on the slide and the speaker’s notes below to describe the accident.
Speaker’s Notes:
Employees #1 and #2 are working in the reclaim basement of a manufacturing company when they notice a mixture of toluene and water overflowing from a 250-gallon, open-top waste tank.
They descend further into the basement to approach the spill.
They stop the spill and begin to clean up the area.

4. Take a Look at the Facts (cont.)
Ventilation system not operational
Two workers are overcome with fumes
Organic vapor alarm alerts other employees
Speaker’s Notes:
The workers do not realize that the ventilation system for the basement is being serviced and therefore is not operational.
They are overcome by toluene vapors shortly after stopping the spill and lose consciousness.
An organic vapor alarm alerts other plant employees, who initiate a rescue effort.
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

5. Take a Look at the Facts (cont.)
One employee is rescued
Fire department rescues 2nd employee
Both employees are hospitalized and released
Speaker’s Notes:
They are able to rescue Employee #2 but can not immediately extricate Employee #1, who is covered with toluene.
The local fire department finally rescues Employee #1.
Both employees are transported by ambulance to the hospital, where Employee #2 is treated and released. Employee #1 is admitted for observation and further testing; he is released the following day.
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

6. What Do You Think Went Wrong?
Why did the employees approach the spill without respirators?
Should others have been notified of the spill?
Were the two employees properly trained to assess the hazards of the spill?
Were the rescuers trained if they could only rescue one employee?
Does broken ventilation affect spill response?
Background for the Trainer:
Use the questions on this slide to elicit discussion.
Training options: After reviewing this slide and the accident description, give the class 5–10 minutes to discuss the accident description in small groups, or ask the students to try to determine some of the facts, potential causes, and possible prevention measures. In either case, use the Case Study Student Handout as a way to encourage discussion as you go through this presentation.
Speaker’s Notes:
Let’s take a few minutes and, using the Case Study Student Handout, work in groups to try to determine the facts of the accident, potential causes of the accident, and possible prevention measures. Then we will review the Case Study together in class.
Consider some of the questions on this slide when discussing the Case Study in your groups.

7. Let’s Review the Causes
Employees probably not trained to respond to a spill
Employees did not notify others of the spill
Employees did not assess hazards, including lack of ventilation
Employees did not wear PPE
Rescuers probably not trained and not wearing PPE
Background for the Trainer:
Try to get the trainees to put themselves in the place of the person in the case study. What would they have done in this case? Point out how a near miss can turn into a catastrophe in the event of emergencies. In this case, the workers rushed into the chemical spill without assessing the situation and without wearing appropriate PPE.
Speaker’s Notes:
The employees that descended further into the basement to stop the spill and clean it up were probably not trained to safely and properly clean up chemical spills. If you are not trained, stay away from chemical spills.
The employees did not notify others of the spill. One of the first things that you do when responding to a spill is to notify others so that they can either evacuate or come and help if they are part of the trained spill response team.
The employees did not properly assess the hazards of the situation. They should have realized that they were entering the basement space that contained heavy vapors from the spilled toluene and that the ventilation system was not properly working. In order to safely approach the spill, the workers should have been wearing air-supplied respirators or a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
The employees did not put on any personal protective equipment (PPE) before approaching the spill. There is no mention of gloves, boots, or protective clothing. They did think about respirators, but they approached the spill before their co-worker returned with the respirators.
The other employees that rescued one of the unconscious employees probably were not trained to perform rescue and probably were not wearing PPE. If so, they would have been able to rescue both employees before the fire department arrived. They probably ran down into the basement either holding their breath or wearing an air-purifying respirator with cartridges. They probably were not wearing gloves if they were concerned about the second employee being covered with toluene.
Can you think of any other causes that may have contributed to this accident?

8. Awareness Level Recognize a release Determine the identity
Protect yourself and others
Speaker’s Notes:
All personnel who work with or around hazardous materials should be trained to an Awareness Level of emergency response. Remember, personnel at the Awareness Level have an important, however limited, role in an emergency response. These personnel are not trained to be involved in the containment, control, or cleanup of the hazardous substance release.
Employees must be able to recognize that a substance has been spilled or released. Spills can be detected by observing a liquid release from a pipe, hose, or container. Some spills or releases can also be detected by smell. Other releases may be detected by monitoring equipment that signals alarms.
Awareness level personnel may be able to help the emergency response team by determining the identity of the material; however, this should be done only if safe to do so. Never approach the spill to determine the identity. You may determine the identity by recognizing the type of drum, tank, pipe, etc., that the leak or spill is coming from.
Protect yourself and others by evacuating the area. Inform other employees in the immediate area that you detected a spill and tell them to evacuate the area.
Call for assistance, whether that is an internal emergency response team or an external agency such as the fire department. Notify others by using a public address (PA) system, signaling an emergency alarm, telephoning, or just by walking through the facility and yelling.
Secure the area to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the area near the release. Remember, only trained spill response personnel are allowed to approach the spill.
Call for assistance
Secure the area

9. Keys to Spill Response Assess the incident
Use proper PPE and cleanup equipment
Contain the spill
Stop the leak
Background for the Trainer:
Bring any written procedures your company has for spill response.
Show pictures of your HAZWOPER trained employees responding to a mock spill.
Speaker’s Notes:
Only HAZWOPER trained personnel can respond to a spill.
Before approaching a spill, assess the situation to determine hazards, determine if any personnel require rescue, select appropriate PPE, and decide on an appropriate response tactic.
Select and use the appropriate PPE and equipment according to the type of material spilled or released. Responding to an oil spill requires less PPE than responding to a release of ammonia. Responding to a spill of a flammable liquid requires the use of nonsparking tools. Responding to an acid spill requires different kinds of absorbent materials and tools that will not be damaged by the acid.
Contain the spill and prevent it from affecting other areas of your workplace and the environment. Use absorbent pads, socks, pillows, floor dry, etc., to absorb and contain the spill.
Stop the leak by closing a valve, plugging a hole, turning off a pump, etc.
Clean up the spill and decontaminate equipment, PPE, and emergency responders.
Report the spill to appropriate agencies, if necessary.
Decontamination
Report the spill

10. Don’t Let It Happen to You
Stay away unless HAZWOPER trained
Notify others of the spill
Secure the area
Assess the hazards
Put on PPE before approaching spill
Speaker’s Notes:
Let’s take a look at what we can do to prevent a similar incident from happening at our facility.
Stay away from spills unless you are a HAZWOPER trained member of the emergency response team.
Notify others of the spill. Use the PA system, call for help, signal emergency alarms, yell for help, etc.
Secure the area around the spill scene to prevent untrained and unauthorized people from entering the scene.
Spill response personnel must assess the hazards of the situation. Identify the material, select appropriate PPE, plan how the spill will be contained and stopped, etc.
Before approaching any spill, make sure you are wearing PPE that is appropriate for the material that is released.
Are there any questions?
Thanks for your attention.

11. Quiz 1. What does “HAZWOPER” stand for?
2. To what level should all employees be trained?
3. Name at least 2 ways you can notify others of a spill.
4. Who is permitted to approach a spill?
5. How should untrained employees protect themselves from a spill?
Background for the Trainer:
Remind employees that the quiz is to encourage further discussion and to help you, the trainer, be sure that everyone understands what was discussed.
Print copies of the quiz for participants to take on their own, or go over the questions as part of the training session.

12. Quiz (cont.)
6. What’s the purpose of securing the area around a spill?
7. What can you use to contain a spill?
8. Name one factor that determines what the PPE responders will wear.
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

13. Quiz Answers 1. Q. What does “HAZWOPER” stand for?
A. Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response
2. Q. To what level should all employees be trained?
A. Awareness Level
3. Q. Name at least 2 ways you can notify others of a spill.
A. PA system, call, signal an alarm, yell

14. Quiz Answers (cont.) 4. Q. Who is permitted to approach a spill?
A. Only HAZWOPER trained personnel
5. Q. How should untrained employees protect themselves from a spill?
A. Evacuate the immediate area
6. Q. What’s the purpose of securing the area around a spill?
A. Prevent unauthorized personnel from approaching the spill
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

15. Quiz Answers (cont.) 7. Q. What can you use to contain a spill?
A. Absorbent socks, pads, floor dry, etc.
8. Q. Name one factor that determines what the PPE responders will wear.
A. Type of chemical spilled
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908