Ch. 1 Intro to HAZMAT Flashcards
Substances that possess harmful characteristics are called …
… hazardous materials in the US and dangerous goods in Canada and other countries.
CBRNE
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or Explosive
When CBRNEs are used as weapons, they are referred to as …
…WMDs
A hazardous materials/WMD incident is an emergency involving …
… a substance that poses an unreasonable risk to people, the environment, and/or property
Potential causes of hazmat incidents …
Human error Mechanical breakdowns/malfunctions Container failure Transportation accidents Deliberate acts (Chemical suicide, WMD incidents)
Often, hazardous materials/WMDs are involved in …
… fires, explosions, and criminal or terrorist activities
Hazardous materials may …
Present a variety of dangers, sometimes in small quantities
Be extremely difficult to contain and/or control
Require specialized equipment, procedures, and PPE to mitigate safety
Be difficult to detect, requiring sophisticated monitoring and detection equipment to identify and predict their severity
Awareness Level Personnel …
… are typically at the incident when it occurs. They perform limited defensive actions, such as calling for help, evacuating the hazard area, and securing the scene
Operations Level Personnel …
… are dispatched to the scene in order to mitigate the incident. They are allowed to perform defensive actions, but, with some exceptions, they are not expected to come into direct contact with the hazardous material
Operations Mission Specific Personnel …
… may be trained beyond the set of core competencies to perform additional defensive tasks and limited offensive actions. These may include using specialized equipment and performing tasks where they might come into contact with the hazardous material
HAZMAT Tech
Performs offensive tasks, including controlling releases at hazmat incidents and may supervise the activities of Operations level responders performing Mission-Specific tasks
HAZMAT Tech w/Specialty
Provides additional expertise in areas, such as radiation, monitoring and detection equipment, or certain container types
HAZMAT IC
Manages the incident by making command decisions to utilize resources and determine strategies and tactics to mitigate the emergency
HAZMAT Officer
Manages the hazmat personnel and operations under the direction of the IC
HAZMAT Safety Officer
Ensures that recognized safe practices are followed at hazmat incidents
Specialists
Provide expertise in specialized areas, such as chemicals, processes, containers, and special operations, typically in an advisory capacity
APIE
Analyze the incident
Plan the initial response
Implement the response
Evaluate progress
Analyze the Incident
Problem solving process, personnel and responders attempt to understand the current situation. Identify the hazmat involved, what containers are present, quantity of materials released, number of exposures, potential hazards, and other relevant information needed to plan a safe and effective response
Plan the Initial Response
Use information gathered during the analysis phase to determine what actions need to be taken to mitigate the incident
Implement the Response
Perform the tasks determined in the planning stage. When implementing the response, responders direct actions to mitigate the incident
Evaluate Progress
Continues throughout the incident until termination
Operations Level Responders …
… are expected to protect individuals, the environment, and property from the effects of the release in a primarily defensive manner.
Operations level include Awareness level responsibilities …
… as well as
Identify potential hazards involved in an incident
Identify response options
Implement planned response to mitigate or control a release from a safe distance by performing assigned tasks to lessen the harmful incident and keep it from spreading
Evaluate the progress of the actions taken to ensure that response objectives are safely met
Operations Mission Specific Level
PPE Mass Decontamination Technical Decontamination Evidence preservation and sampling Product control Air monitoring and sampling Victim rescue and recovery Response to illicit laboratory incidents
Acute exposure
Single exposure or several repeated exposures to a substance within a short time period.
Appear within hours or days such as vomiting or diarrhea
Example: phosgene
Chronic exposure
Long term, reoccurring. May take years to develop, such as cancer
Routes of Entry
Inhalation
Ingestion
Absorption
Injection
Three Mechanisms of Harm
Energy release
Corrosivity
Toxicity
Energy Release
Heat (Thermal hazards) Mechanical Energy Pressure Electricity Chemical Radiation
Mechanical Energy …
… possessed by objects due to their position or motion. Can be injured by flying or falling objects, such as the failure of a pressurized container, an explosive detonation, a shifting container, or the reactivity of the hazardous material itself. Friction injuries can cause skin abrasions, blisters, and burns
Radiation …
… is energy emitted in particles or waves. Can occur at medical centers, certain industrial operations, nuclear power plants, and research facilities. Possible exposure from terrorist attacks
Corrosives …
… are chemicals that destroy or burn living tissues and have destructive effects by virtue of their corrosively (ability to cause corrosion, particularly to metals)
With the exception of liquid and gas fuels, corrosives comprise the largest usage class (by volume) in industry
Toxic …
Chemicals or biological substances that cause sickness, illness, or injury by doing damage on the molecular scale when in contact with the body
