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Waste & RecyclingLeaving the hot zone only through decontamination

Every worker who leaves a contaminated area is decontaminated, and all contaminated clothing and equipment leaving it is disposed of or decontaminated. You go through the site's decontamination line, set up for its hazards, and take off your gear by the doffing procedure. It follows paragraph (k)(2)(iii) and Appendix C of the federal HAZWOPER rule.

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Scenarios

  • The end of a work task in the hot zone.
  • A substance that needs its own decontamination method, because one method does not work for all substances.
  • Tools that come out of the contaminated area with you.

The steps

  1. When your task ends, head out of the contaminated area only toward the decontamination zone.
  2. Follow the decontamination procedure set for the site's hazards: its number of steps depends on the level of hazard and on your exposure.
  3. Have your protective clothing decontaminated by the method set for the substances on the site.
  4. Take off your gear by the doffing procedure.
  5. Leave contaminated clothing and equipment to be disposed of or decontaminated.
  6. Take tools out of the contaminated area only once they are disposed of or decontaminated.
  7. Go on to the clean zone only after you are decontaminated.

Safety rules that stop the station

  • No one leaves a contaminated area without being decontaminated.
  • No contaminated clothing or equipment leaves the contaminated area without being disposed of or decontaminated.

To pass

  • Everyone leaving the contaminated area is decontaminated, and their contaminated clothing and equipment are disposed of or decontaminated.
  • The procedure is tailored to the site's hazards, and its methods are checked so no one is exposed by re-using protective equipment.
  • Hands-on training with Level A, B and C ensembles and decontamination lines, including putting on and taking off the gear.

Official source

Federal · OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.120 (HAZWOPER)

29 CFR 1910.120, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER)

GovInfo publishes 29 CFR 1910.120 free: paragraph (k) requires decontamination of everyone leaving a contaminated area and Appendix C explains how procedures fit each site.

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.

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