Course Description: Using the Internet this course will provide the student with a comprehensive look at household hazardous waste operations. This class will meet or exceed requirements for the educational components of certification and/or licensing required for solid waste professionals.
Course Outline:
Lesson 1 – Regulations Overview
- Recognize OSHA and EPA standards that apply to work on hazardous waste sites.
- Identify provisions of 29 CFR 1910.120 applicable to waste site work.
- Describe the purpose and content of the employer’s general safety and health program.
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Identify relevant portions of a complete site-specific safety and health plan, to include, but not be limited to:
- Contact personnel and alternates for site safety and health;
- Safety, health, and other hazards present on a given site;
- Personal protective equipment requirements;
- Engineering controls and equipment safety;
- Medical surveillance technique requirements, including recognition of symptoms and signs that might indicate overexposure to hazards;
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An emergency response plan meeting the requirements for safe and effective responses to emergencies, including all necessary equipment;
- Confined space entry procedures;
- A spill containment program; and
- Decontamination procedures.
Lesson 2 – Chemical Awareness
- List the primary health hazards associated with acids and bases.
- Describe the basic treatment for skin and eye exposure to chemicals.
- List the acute effects of solvent exposure.
- Identify potentially hazardous outcomes of chemical incompatibility.
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Describe the significance of the following terms:
- Corrosive
- Oxidizer
- Reactivity
- pH
- Vapor Density
- Vapor Pressure
- Specific Gravity
Lesson 3 – Toxicology
- List the four main routes for toxic substances to enter into the body.
- Identify procedures to protect oneself from toxins.
- Differentiate between the ‘acute” and “chronic” responses of exposure to toxic substances.
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State the importance of the following terms:
- Toxic Dose /LD100
- Toxic Dose/LC50
- Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL)
- Threshold Limit Value (TLV)
- Time-Weighted Average (TWA)
- Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL)
- Ceiling Limit (C)
- Immediate Danger to Life and Health (IDLH)
- Routes of Entry
- Acute and Chronic exposure
- List the factors affecting human response to toxic chemicals.
Lesson 4 – Operational Hazards
- Describe specific hazards posed by working in a Regional Collection Center.
- List the definitions for hazard, safety, and risk.
- Describe a model for hazard recognition.
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Identify measures that can be taken to recognize and prevent injury from the following hazards:
- Noise
- Electrical
- Site and equipment
- Heat Stress
- Cold Exposure
- Biological
- Blood borne pathogens
Lesson 5 – Hazard Identification
- Describe the NFPA 704 sign.
- Identify the numbers used in the NFPA numbering system.
- Identify the nine hazard classes under the DOT labels.
- Explain the importance of MSDS.
- Utilize the North American Emergency Response Guidebook to gather information on a selected chemical.
Lesson 6 – Respiratory Protection & PPE
- List the main categories of respirators.
- Compare the advantages and disadvantages of a full-facepiece mask vs. a half-facepiece mask for air-purifying respirators.
- Describe reasons for poor respirator fit.
- List components of a respirator program as required by OSHA.
- List limitations associated with major types of respirators.
Lesson 7 – Decontamination
- Identify Standard Operating Procedures for minimizing worker contact with waste and maximizing work protection.
- List the four types of decontamination methods.
- Describe three of the chemical decontamination procedures
- Identify and describe procedures for emergency decontamination.
- Describe the general rule of PPE for decontamination workers.
- Identify priorities when planning for decontamination in medical emergencies.
Lesson 8 – Waste Management
- List the seven steps in a waste management process
- List the main classes of hazardous materials and how they should be sorted and stored
- Identify the proper selection, marking/labeling, and handling of containers of hazardous waste
Lesson 9 – Emergency Procedures
- Describe the elements of an effective emergency contingency / spill response plan.
- Identify guidelines for establishing safe evacuation routes and procedures.
- Describe the importance of a Site Control Log that is located at the access checkpoints.
- Identify what can be done to limit the number of spills on site.
- State the importance of not participating in a spill response if training or equipment is inadequate.
- Outline the steps to follow during an emergency response.
- Identify key elements of an emergency response plan.
