Emergency response defined

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. 

A thermal stability study was first carried out to determine the following information (1) the solidification temperature as a function of the concentration of the sulfonate (2) the enthalpy of decomposition by DTA (3) the autocatalytic nature of the decomposition by Dewar flask (4) kinetic data for decomposition by Dewar flask (5) the time to maximum rate by ARC, and (6) the heat generation as a function of temperature, also by ARC. In addition, the enthalpy of dilution was determined for various potential water leak rates. These data were useful in defining emergency response times. 

The OSHA PSM Standard lists 137 highly hazardous chemicals-only 38 of which are considered highly reactive based on NFPA ratings 3 or 4 34 (as defined in NFPA 704, Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response). 

Before we discuss the basic goals of an effective emergency response plan from an OSHA compliance point of view, we should define emergency response. Considering that individual facilities are different, with different dangers and different needs, defining emergency response is not always easy. However, for our purposes, we use the definition provided by CoVan (1995, 54) ... 

Emergency response is defined as a limited response to abnormal conditions expected to... 

Now that we have defined emergency response, let s move on to the basic goals of an effective emergency response plan. Most of the currently available literature on this topic generally lists the goals as twofold (1) minimize injury to facility personnel and (2) minimize damage to the facility and then return to normal operation as soon as possible. 

Feature 8. Define security-sensitive information establish physical, electronic, and procedural controls to restrict access to security-sensitive information detect unauthorized access and ensure information and communications systems will function during emergency response and recover. 

Where facilities have internal emergency response organizations and an ICS, but reside in a jurisdiction where the outside response agency is required or expected to be called on all events or utilize community or mutual aid groups, the role of the internal emergency response organization must be defined ... 

Natural attenuation is defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s (EPA s) Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) as follows ... 

Some states (e.g., California, Washington) have defined a category of extremely hazardous waste, and extremely hazardous substances are specified by EPA under the Emergency Response and Community Right-to-Know Act. Under RCRA and state regulations, however, requirements on waste treatment and disposal generally do not distinguish between extremely hazardous waste and any other hazardous chemical waste. 

Other means of evaluating the toxic effects of vapors, and their potential impact on exposed people, can be found in the Emergency Response Planning Guidelines for Air Contaminants (ERPGs), issued by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (1992). The documents define values of exposure to toxic vapors needed to produce specific health effects. Three levels of vapor concentration are defined ... 

A clearly defined, executable, practiced emergency response plan. 

OSHA (1910.120 (q)) defines an emergency response to a hazardous substance release as employees engaged in emergency response no matter where it occurs. OSHA separates individuals who respond to these incidents into six levels, each having its own training requirement. OSHA s responder levels are First Responder - Awareness Level First Responder -Operations Level Hazardous Material Technician Hazardous Materials Specialist Incident Commander and Skilled Support Persoimel. 

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an IDLH concentration in their hazardous waste operations and emergency response regulation (29 CFR 1910.120) as follows ... 

American Industrial Hygiene Association Emergency Response Planning Guidelines-2 (AIHA ERPG-2) defined as maximum airborne concentration below which nearly all persons could be exposed... 

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