Emergency response

Train your employees to respond to emergency situations. Every employee needs to understand the following [1]  

In the event of accidents or incidents during the transport of radioactive material, emergency provisions, as established by relevant national and/or 

Emergency procedures shall take into account the formation of other dangerous substances that may result from the reaction between the contents of a consignment and the environment in the event of an accident. 

The local fire department may have all of the resources that your site would need in handling the worst possible site emergency. At the other extreme, the fire department may be not be equipped properly, may be poorly qualified, or may be unable to respond quickly or adequately to a site emergency without adequate assistance from other sources. No matter what the level of competence of the local fire department, they typically know how emergency situations should be handled and know where to look to get the assistance needed should an emergency occur. 

If there is a chemical plant or factory nearby, there is a good possibility that the local fire department has an agreement with the factory to use their emergency equipment should the need arise. 

A good relationship with local fire departments, local police departments, and city officials is encouraged. We recommend working closely with all branches of government, especially fire and police departments. 

The HAZWOPER standard says that an emergency exists when an incident occurs that results in, or is likely to result in, an uncontrolled 

In 29 CER 1910.120 (a)(3) it is stated that responses to incidental releases of hazardous substances where the substance can be absorbed, neutralized, or otherwise controlled at the time of release by employees in the immediate release area, or by maintenance personnel, are not considered to be emergency responses in the scope of the standard (HAZWOPER). The term incidental is the key term. Workers need to be trained as to what type of situations would be considered incidental. In general, if the employees actions to clean or control the release do not and likely would not put them in jeopardy (from a safety and health viewpoint), the act would be considered incidental. 

The chemical manufacturing industry defines an emergency as a loss of containment of a chemical or the potential for loss of containment that results in an emergency situation requiring an immediate response. Examples of emergency response situations include fires, explosions, vapor releases, and reportable-quantity chemical spills. 

Advance planning for potential emergencies will help to avoid persoital injury or damage to property. A comprehensive emergency management plan will allow quick and effective response and so reduce the consequences of any incident. Key actions include  

Emergencies can arise from many causes, for example  

Those with reasonable probabilities of occurring must be identified and specifically planned for. Government and private sources can help to identify likely external events. 

For each situation, the risk of damage to personnel, property, and the environment must be assessed. This assessment enables the planners to set priorities by considering  

Each hypothetical emergency will demand a response within a certain time. Some examples are  

Due to the potentially hazardous nature of many compressed gases, liquefied compressed gases, and cryogenic liquids during manufacture, storage, transport, and use, there is an essential need for effective, informed, and timely emergency response  

The types of events that may require an emergency response include such situations as  

When analyzing the probability of emergency events, it is important to recognize that in many cases one type of emergency may often trigger subsequent events which may have even greater consequential implications than the initiating event. 

Although most written emergency response plans contain the same basic elements, two distinct types of plans emerge for consideration (1) plans applicable to a facility or site location and (2) plans associated with transportation incidents. 

The concept of CAER, originally a voluntary, industry-created action program, became law when the federal government enacted the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III regulation in 

Formerly known as the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA), this group provides information on chemical industry environmental health and safety issues. 

American National Red Cross 431 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20006 (202) 639-3520 Website www.redcross.org 

This is a humanitarian agency dedicated to helping people prevent, prepare for, and cope with emergencies, primarily natural disasters. 

Also known as the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, this organization provides information on environmental, workplace safety, and emergency management topics. 

All manufacturers must supply MSDS Sheets for their products. 

Manufacturers of fixed-point leak detection sensors can furnish all the equipment and gases required to perform calibration checks. 

The integrity of any process, whether it be a mitigation system, a leak-detection system, or the main process from which a release is generated, can be easily compromised with the smallest addition or modification. Actions as simple as bypassing an alarm or adding a block valve can quickly keep a system from operating when called upon. 

Therefore, if a leak-detection system has been installed to warn of releases of toxic or flammable materials from a plant, the implementation of a process safety management system should include the detection system as part of the process (CCPS 1989 CCPS 1988). In this manner the leak-detection system will be subject to the facility s management-of-change procedures, and changes to the leak-detection system, will be carefully evaluated before being implemented. 

The requirements of an emergency response plan and what it should contain are detailed in several OSHA regulations. Also, the proposed risk management plan regulations of the EPA (40 CFR, Part 68) contain some specific 

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Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)... 

Containers less than bulk must bear the red diamond-shaped "FLAMMABLE LIQUID" label. Bulk containers must display the red "FLAMMABLE" placard in association with the UN1090 identification. Fire is the main ha2ard in emergencies resulting from spills. Some manufacturers provide transportation emergency response information. A listing of properties and ha2ard response information for acetone is pubHshed by the U.S. 

Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. In response to an EPA mandate in SARA, Ha2ardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) regulations were issued. These address emergency responders, training of those working at Superfund sites, and cleanup operations. 

A DOT regulation covers both domestic and international shipping (9). For transportation safety, the DOT has information for first responders to incidents involving elemental phosphoms (10). In addition, the Chemtrec phone number 1-800-424-9300 accesses DOT emergency information and assistance in the United States. Also, the phosphoms producers in the United States have estabUshed a Phosphoms Emergency Response Team (PERT) to assist in handling P emergencies. 

Chlorine Institute. Members of the Chlorine Institute are required to reaffirm their commitment to the Institute s safety pledge, including prevention of chlorine releases. The safety pledge also includes aimual safety audits, aimual emission and ha2ard evaluations of chlorine operations, periodic emergency-response test drills, and coordination with local officials for protection of the community (32) (see Alkali AND CHLORINE PRODUCTS). 

Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH). Not estabUshed foi acryhc acid value shown is the emergency response-planning guide-3 (ERPG-3) for exposure up to one hour without life-threatening effects. 

Franklin Associates, Characterisation of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States 1992 Update., Report EPA/530-R-92-019 (PB 92-207-166), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of SoHd Waste and Emergency Response, Washington, D.C., 1992. 

Reportable releases under CERCLA must be reported to the National Response Center, at (800) 424-8802. Reporting under EPCRA requires notifying the facihty s LEPC (or relevant local emergency response personnel if there is no LEPC) and the SERC of any state likely to be affected. If a faciUty is near the border of another state, that state may have to be notified as well. Notification is required to be immediate, which is usually defined as within 30 minutes of the release. State or local authorities may have additional or different reporting requirements. Eailure to report release in a timely manner can result in severe penalties from the regulatory authorities. 

Emergency Response and Transportation Equipment Data Sheet, Dow Chemical U.S. A., Plaquemiue, La., Apr. 10,1990. 

Loss of containment due to mechanical failure or misoperation is a major cause of chemical process accidents. The design or storage systems should be based on minimizing the hkelihood of loss of containment, with the accompanying release of hazardous materials, and on limiting the amount or the release. An effective emergency response program that can reduce the impacts of a release should be available. 

Emergency response On-site communications Emergency shutdown equipment and procedures Site evacuation Safe havens Personal protective equipment Medical treatment On-site emergency plans, procedures, training, aud drills... 

Another important issue in layout is the provision of safe access to equipment for emergency response needs such as fire-fighting etc. The layout also needs to provide for safe escape and rescue routes. As far as off-site population is concerned, the most important siting factor is the distance between the process... 

Use personal protective equipment Provide sufficient bottled air/SCBA Develop emergency response procedures Develop appropriate evacuation plans... 

Install depressurizing system Install emergency relief device Develop emergency response plan... 

Include operator emergency response to indications of a seal leak in written operating procedures... 

NFPA 704 Standard for the Identification of the Fire Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. 

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