Waste & RecyclingEntering a hazardous waste site and decontaminating
Before entering a hazardous waste site, workers need the HAZWOPER training, a decontamination procedure set before anyone goes in, the right level of protection and a buddy. This guide follows OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.120 and its appendices.
Free to startThe training
General site workers get at least 40 hours of instruction off the site and three days of field experience under a trained, experienced supervisor; occasional workers get 24 hours and one day. Each person who completes it gets a written certificate, and everyone takes eight hours of refresher training every year.
Site control and protection
The site has a map with work zones (clean, decontamination and hot), a buddy system so each worker is watched by at least one other, communications and the nearest medical help. Protective gear goes from Level A, the greatest skin, respiratory and eye protection, to Level D, a work uniform for nuisance contamination only.
Decontamination
The procedure is written and explained before anyone enters. Everyone leaving the contaminated area is decontaminated, clothing wetted with a hazardous substance comes off at once with a shower, and the supervisor checks that the procedure works. Practice the entry free with Blocky.
Official sources
The HAZWOPER rule
29 CFR 1910.120 sets the training hours and field days, the written certificate, the yearly refresher, site control with work zones and the buddy system, and every rule of decontamination. The full text is free to read.
Levels of protection and zones
The appendices of 29 CFR 1910.120 describe Levels A, B, C and D of protective gear, the clean, decontamination and hot zones of a site, and hands-on training with protective ensembles and decontamination lines.
Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by OSHA, NIOSH, EPA or any HAZWOPER training provider. Agency and rule names are named only to describe the content.