Ch. 3 Recognizing/Identifying the Hazards Flashcards by Neil Meeyadie

Key differences between hazmat/WMD and other emergencies: (3)

Hazmat/WMD moves more slowly.
Actions dictated by chemicals/hazards involved.
Personnel conscious of law enforcement aspect.

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At any hazardous material incident, your first ACTION should always be to:

Approach the scene from a safe location and direction. The traditional rules of staying uphill and upwind are a good place to start.

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Fixed facilities that use/store significant amount of chemicals with have EH and S dept.

EH and S Environmental Health and Safety.
Industrial hygienists.
Chemists/chemical engineers.
Certified safety professionals

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Another way to detect presence of hazmat is ______, although must be employed carefully to avoid ________. Senses typically safe are _______.

Use your senses.
Becoming contaminated/exposed.
Sight and Sound.

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These should guide your initial and ongoing actions (3)

SOPs.
Level of training.
Information gathering efforts at the scene.

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Clues seen or heard

Vapor cloud - move away.

Alarm from gas sensor - retreat

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Vessel or receptacle that holds material

Container

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Bomb, grenade or rocket propellant amount:

Missile charge:

More than 4 oz.

More than 1/4 oz. (7 grams)

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Often bulk storage containers are surrounded by _______ to help control an accidental release.

Supplementary containment system

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An engineered method to control spilled or released product if the main containment vessel fails

Secondary containment

can normally hold entire volume plus percentage of water flowed or certain amount of rain fall

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Aboveground Storage Tanks (AST) and Underground Storage Tanks (UST) can hold _______ to _______ of product and usually made of aluminum, steel or plastic. Can be ______ or ______.

A few hundred gallons.
Several million gallons.
Pressurized or nonpressurized

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Pressurized horizontal tanks have _____ ends and _____ or _____. Most common above ground pressurized tanks are _____ and _____.

Round.
Large vents or pressure-relief stacks.

Liquid propane.
Liquid ammonia

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Pressurized Horizontal Tanks.
These tanks usually have a small vapor space - ___________- above the liquid.
In most cases is ________ of the total container capacity is vapor.

Headspace.

10-15%

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BOTH shipping and storage vessels
5000-6000 gallons
Pressurized or nonpressurized
Can be shipped by ALL METHODS of transport: air, sea or land

Intermodal

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Often container will provide important clues about the nature of the substance inside:
Responders should _____ rely solely on type of container

Type.
Size.
Material of construction.

Not

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Intermediate bulk containers:

Volume falls in between drums or bags and what is in cargo tanks.
Greater than 119 gallons but less than 793.
Super sacks or totes
-super sacks=500 lbs to several thousand.
-totes=4 ft square and 6 ft tall, 119-793 gal.

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Bulk storage containers requirements

Liquids GREATER THAN 119 gallons.
Bulk packaging with net mass GREATER THAN 882 pounds.
Compressed gas - water capacity of 1,001 pounds OR LESS

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Non-bulk storage vessels:
Intermediate bulk containers:
Bulk storage containers:

NON-few ounces to 119 gallons: drums, bags, compressed gas cylinders, cryo.
INTER-volumes between drums/bags and cargo tanks, greater than 119 but less than 793 gal: super sacks (500-several thousand lbs) and totes (119-793 gal).
BULK-cargo tanks/rail cars: liquids greater than 119 gal, bulk packaging w/net mass greater than 882 lbs, compressed gas-water capacity 1,001 lbs or less

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Signal words on bags to indicate relative toxicity: (4)

Danger-Poison - highly toxic by all routes.
Danger - severe eye damage or skin irritation.
Warning - moderately toxic.
Caution - minor toxicity and minor eye damage or skin irritation

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Every pesticide label must carry the statement ___________.

Keep out of reach of children

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Drums can be made of (5).
Closed head drums with one or more small openings:
Open head removable lid with:

Low-carbon steel, polyethylene, cardboard, stainless steel, nickel.

Bung-2 in. and 3/4 in. holes

Ring tightened with clasp/threaded bolt assembly

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Carboy is a ____, ___, or ____ container that holds ___________ of product

Glass, plastic or steel, 5-15 gallons

glass placed in wood, foam, fiberglass, or steel box

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Uninsulated cylinders chemicals

OHAN
Oxygen
Helium
Argon
Nitrogen

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Cryogens in cylinders

HOHAN
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Helium
Argon
Nitrogen

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Will hold 2,000 lbs of product, 8 feet in length, and 3 feet in diameter

Ton container

Off all the various methods of transport of hazmat, the ________ is the one that is most rarely involved in emergencies.

High volume pipeline

A pipeline is a length of pipe-including ....-for conveying fluids or gases over potentially long distances.

``` Pumps. Valves. Flanges. Control devices. Strainers ```

These incidents, like rail incidents, could have far-reaching implications and present responders with a challenging set of circumstances.

Pipeline

Area, patch of land, or roadway that extends a certain number of feet on either side of the pipe itself. The company that owns the pipeline maintains this area.

Pipeline right of way

The company is also responsible for placing warning signs ____________ along the length of the pipeline.

At regular intervals

Pipeline warning signs include:

Warning SYMBOL. Pipeline owners name. Emergency contact phone number

Information about pipeline's contents and owner is also found at the _______. These inverted J-shaped tubes provide pressure relief OR natural venting during maintenance and repairs. Vent pipes are _____ and are located approximately _____ above the ground.

Vent pipes. Clearly marked. 3 feet

US DOT marking system is an identification system characterized by ____, _____ and ______. Used when materials are ___________________.

Labels. Placards. Markings. Being transported from one location to another in the United States

Placards

10 3/4 in. diamond. | All four sides of highway transportation, railroad tank cars and other forms

Labels

4 in. diamond on all 4 sides of individual boxes and smaller packages

Most common mode of hazardous material transport is:

Over land by roadway transportation. | 49CFR171.8(2)

Any amount requires a label or placard (4)

Explosives. Poison gases. Water-reactive solids. High-level radioactive

A four-digit UN number ________ required on some placards.

May be

NFPA 704 is for:

Fixed facility use: Outside of bldgs. Doorways to chemical storage areas. Fixed storage tanks

What size does NFPA 704 need to be:

Diamond-shaped symbol of ANY size

Placard vs Label hazards

``` PlacarD = broaD hazard. LabeL = potentiaL hazard ```

Diamonds in 704 are:

Red-flammability. Blue-health. Yellow-reactivity. White-special symbols [burning O (oxidizer), 3-bladed trifoil (radioactive) and W with slash through it (water reactive)]

Military markings. | Mass detonation and orange octagon

Division 1 OXTD MEAO

Military markings. | Mass fire hazards and inverted orange triangle

Division 3 OXTD MEAO

Military markings. | Moderate fire hazards and orange diamond

Division 4 OXTD MEAO

Military markings. | Explosion with fragment hazards and orange X

Division 2 OXTD MEAO

Chemical hazards and colors for military (3)

Toxic agents-Red. Harassing agents-yellow. White phosphorous-white.

Class 4 Flammable solids (FSW)

Flammable. Spontaneously combustible. Water-reactive

_____ means a leak from one small package, a small leak in a large container (up to ____ ), a small cylinder leak, or any small leak, even one in a larger package. p. 63

Small spill. | 55-gallon drum

Primary audience for the ERG?

Firefighters, police and other emergency services personnel

Green section of ERG includes chemicals hi-lighted from yellow and blue sections but also:

Water-reactive materials that produce toxic gas. Toxic Inhalation Hazards (TIH) (extremely toxic to humans). Chemical warfare agents (CWA). Dangerous water-reactive materials

A large spill is:

Large leak or spill from a larger container or package. Spill from a NUMBER of small packages. Anything from a 1-ton cylinder, tank truck or railcar

Any substance hi-lighted in blue or yellow of ERG is either:

Toxic inhalation hazard. Chemical warfare agent. Water reactive material

Hazardous Materials Information System

``` Similar to NFPA 704. Uses numerical hazard rating with similarly colored horizontal columns. (OSHA Hazard Communication Standard) For employees. Method for information/training. ```

How many sources?

As many as possible | Preferably at least three

Shipping papers. | Packaging Group designation is another system used by shippers to identify special handling requirements or hazards

Group I - HIGH danger. Group II - MEDIUM danger. Group III - MINOR danger.

Shipping paper types (4)

Rail - waybills (list of contents for every car = consist/train list - conductor/engineer/designated member). Marine - dangerous cargo manifest (tube-like container in wheelhouse - captain/master). Air - airbill (pilot's responsibility). Road - bills of lading or freight bills - in the cab (transporting chemicals - on drivers person or within easy reach inside cab)

_______, _______, and ______ will help you identify the various protective "actions and notifications" that must be made for the types of responses anticipated within the jurisdiction.

SOPs. (Defines points of contact) Emergency response plan. ERG.

Chemtrec is operated by:

American Chemistry Council

Whenever a significant hazardous materials incident occurs, ________ MUST be notified. _____ has the ultimate legal responsibility to contact NRC.

National Response Center (NRC) *central notification point* Shipper or owner of the chemical

Potential targets for terrorist activities include both NATURAL landmarks and HUMAN-MADE structures. These sites can be divided into _____ broad categories: (CSI)

3. Infrastructure targets. Symbolic targets. Civilian targets.

Indicators of possible criminal/terrorist activity involving chemical agents

``` NO SINGLE INDICATOR! Overt -Gloves. -Chemical suits. -Respirators. -Marked/unmarked containers. Chemical odor or residue. Chemistry books or reference materials ```

Chemical agents. | The main point is that you must always be on the lookout for:

Items that may appear out of context with the setting-pay attention to your surroundings at all times

Indicators of incidents that may involve biological agents:

Chemicals. Production equipment (Petri dishes, vented hoods, Bunsen burners, pipettes, microscopes, incubators). Microbiology/biology books. Metal cylindrical cans or red plastic boxes/bags. PPE. Excessive amount of antibiotics. Abandoned spray devices/unscheduled or unusual sprays

Biggest difference between chemical incident and biological incident is typically:

The speed of onset of the health effects

Indicators of radiological agents:

Lead/stainless containers. Explosive that may be used to disperse. Radiation monitoring. Radiological protective suits

Major difference between illicit location where radiological substances are present and a legitimate operation may be:

The way the substances are packaged and stored

Radiological. Labeling is driven by amount of radiation that can be measured outside the package. Three varieties of LABELS found on radioactive packages are:

White I. Yellow II. Yellow III.

Shippers of radiological materials are required to include a Transport Index (TI) number on the package label. Number indicates the highest amount of radiation that can be measured _____ away from the SURFACE of the package.

1 meter

Radiological. | The key is to be able to _____, _____, and ______ when and where you may encounter radioactive sources.

Suspect. Recognize. Understand

Radiological. If at a fixed facility, initially consult with ________. If not at a fixed site, the presence of radiation may __________.

Radiation safety officer. | Never be apparent

Most incidents you encounter will encounter will involve ________ and can be handled ______. The _________ are usually found in ________ containers.

Low-level radioactive sources. Safely. Low level sources. Type A

Most common type of containers and packages used to store radioactive materials are divided into 5 major categories:

``` Excepted range radioactive packaging. Industrial radioactive packaging. Type A. Type B. Type C ```

Transport materials - general design requirements. Low level radioactive substances. Made of heavy CARDBOARD. Very low hazard (smoke detectors). Excepted (excluded) from packaging, labeling, paper requirements. Required to have four digit UN number

Excepted packaging

Transporting high-activity radioactive substances by AIR. Dangerous radioactive sources. Not certified for use in the United States

Type C packaging

Protect internal contents during NORMAL transportation in event of MINOR accident. Withstand MODERATE degrees of cold, vibration, impact... Nuclear medicines, radioactive waste, radioactive sources-industrial. Not significant release, quantity is so limited

Type A packaging

Far more durable than Type A. Designed to prevent release in EXTREME accidents. Small drums and casks weighing more than 100 metric tons. Tests-fall onto spikes, heavy fire, submersion. Worst-case accident scenarios. Spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, high concentrations-cesium or cobalt

Type B packaging

Low ACTIVITY material, usually radioactive WASTE. These packages allow NO identifiable release. Three categories packaging and category will be marked on exterior of package (IP-1, IP-2, IP-3).

Industrial packaging

ILLICIT: | Terrorist paraphernalia may include:

Terrorist training manuals. Ideological propaganda. Documents indicating affiliation w/known terrorist groups.

LOCATIONS illicit clan labs:

Basements with unusual/multiple vents. Bldgs w/heavy security. Bldgs w/obscured Windows. Bldgs w/odd or unusual odors

PERSONNEL illegal laboratory settings may exhibit

Certain degree of unusual/suspicious behavior -nervous/high level anxiety. May be very protective of laboratory and not want to allow access. May rush people out.

EQUIPMENT illicit laboratory areas

``` Surveillance materials (videotapes, photos, maps, blueprints or time logs of the target hazard). Non-weapon supplies (identification badges, uniforms, decals). Weapon-related supplies (timers, switches, fuses, containers, projectiles, gunpowder or fuel). Security weapons (guns, knives, booby trap systems) ```

_____ laboratories are by far the most common type of clandestine laboratory encountered by responders.

Drug

Very primitive. Materials to manufacture often consist of everyday items (jars, bottles, glass cookware, coolers and tubing) that have been modified to produce...

Drug labs

The strong smell of _____ or unusual chemical smell such as ____, _____, or ______ are very common indicators of clandestine drug manufacturing.

Urine. | Ether, ammonia or acetone

Indicators of possible criminal or terrorist activity involving explosives typically include materials that fit into four categories:

Protective equipment. Production and containment materials. Explosive materials. Support materials.

Secondary device vs secondary attack

Device - to harm those responders summoned to the scene. | Attack - as responders begin to treat victims

EVADE for secondary devices

Evaluate the scene for likely areas. Visually scan operating areas before providing care. Avoid touching/moving anything that can CONCEAL. Designate control zones. Evacuate victims, other responders and nonessential personnel