Six Essential Components of HAZWOPER Site Analysis

Six Essential Components of HAZWOPER Site Analysis

Topic: Chemical Safety

In order to protect workers, it is essential that a qualified person conduct a preliminary investigation of a hazardous waste site before they enter it. The analysis will help you determine what is necessary to protect employees. Once you have entered the site, a more detailed survey will help you better identify site hazards and refine your selection of engineering controls and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The six essential components of initial and detailed site hazard analysis include:

1. Hazard identification. All conditions that may pose inhalation or skin absorption hazards that are immediately dangerous to life or health or other conditions that may cause death or serious harm must be identified during the preliminary survey and evaluated during the detailed survey. Hazard examples include confined space entry, potentially explosive or flammable situations, visible vapor clouds, or areas where biological indicators, such as dead animals or vegetation, are located.
2. Site characterization. Before workers are allowed on the site, you must obtain information about the size of the site, description of the task(s) or response activity to be performed, duration of the planned activities, site topography and access points, expected safety and health hazards, pathways of hazardous substance dispersion, status of emergency response teams, and the chemical and physical properties of the hazardous substances at the site.
3. PPE. PPE must be provided and used during initial site entry. On the basis of the results of the preliminary site evaluation, an assortment of PPE must be selected and used during initial site entry to provide protection to a level of exposure below permissible exposure limits (PELs) and published exposure levels for known or suspected hazardous substances and health hazards, and which will provide protection against other known and suspected hazards identified during the preliminary site evaluation. If there is no PEL or published exposure level, the employer can use other published studies and information as a guide to appropriate PPE.
   If the preliminary site evaluation does not produce sufficient information to identify the hazards of the site, an assortment of PPE equivalent to Level B must be provided as minimum protection, and direct reading instruments must be used as appropriate for identifying immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) conditions. Once the hazards of the site have been identified, the appropriate PPE must be selected and used in accordance with regulations.
4. Monitoring. If the initial site evaluation shows the potential for ionizing radiation or IDLH conditions, or there is insufficient information to determine whether conditions are safe, monitoring with direct reading instruments for ionizing radiation or air contaminants must be conducted. An ongoing air monitoring program must be set up once the site characterization shows the site is safe to enter.
5. Risk identification. Risks associated with hazardous substances found at the site must be evaluated and communicated to workers at the site.
6. Worker notification. You must provide all employees who work at the site with information about the chemical, physical, and toxicological properties of hazardous substances and make the information available before work commences. You must also inform contractors and subcontractors, or their representatives, of any identifiable safety and health hazards or potential fire or explosion hazards before they enter the worksite. You may use information developed under the requirements of the hazard communication standard for this pur