Hazardous Material Protection Instrumentation

Out of all the team members, the team leader and scribe (secretary) are required to possess experience in HAZOP and excellent communication skills. Generally, for plant HAZOP analysis the team is formed from people with a technical background. In most of the plants dealing with hazardous materials, and/or any other hazardous situation, a person from the HSE department is made a team member. In some countries it is mandatory to keep one person from HSE. Since in most plants, control instrumentation plays a great role in ensuring plant safety through interlock and protection, it is better to keep one person from process, operation/production... 

When an explosive device is used to disperse radioactive, chemical, or biological materials, the treatment of casualties is more difficult because of the presence of contamination. In this situation, emergency responders could face a life-threatening situation unless appropriate precautions are taken. These precautions include using screening instruments (see Section 6.12) to assess hazard conditions before responding, then selecting the appropriate level of personal protective equipment (see Section 6.7) to provide protection from the hazard. 

In the laboratory you may be exposed to instruments that generate radiation (such as X-ray diffraction instruments) or may have sealed sources that contain hazardous levels of radioactive materials (such as Y irradiators or analytical detectors). You may also be exposed to unsealed, open sources of radiation. Both types require special training and education to learn proper procedures and handling precautions about these radiation hazards. We discuss first how to protect yourself from sources of radiation in laboratory instrumentation. 

Level 2 precautions stress the use of secondary barriers and making waste decontamination available to reduce contamination. This level of protection is appropriate for tasks involving human blood, body fluids, or tissues. Primary hazards can include percutaneous events, mucous-membrane exposures, or ingestion of infectious materials. Use extreme precaution when working with contaminated needles or sharp instruments. 

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