Hazards, chemical ventilation control

Hazardous Materials Response Team(s) Establish the HazMat Group, and Provide Technical information/Assistance to Command, EMS Providers, Hospitals, and Law Enforcement. Detect/Monitor to Identify the Agent, Determine Concentrations and Ensure Proper Control Zones. Continually Reassess Control Zones, Enter the Hot Zone (with chemical personal protective clothing) to Perform Rescue, Product Information, and Reconnaissance. Product Control/Mitigation may be implemented in Conjunction with Expert Technical Guidance. Improve Hazardous Environments Ventilation, Control HVAC, Control Utilities. Implement a Technical Decontamination Corridor for Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) Personnel. Coordinate and Assist with Mass Decontamination. Provide Specialized Equipment as Necessary. Assist Law Enforcement Personnel with Evidence Preservation/Collection, Decontamination. 

In addition to training, engineering controls are the most effective way of minimizing exposure to harmful chemicals. Engineering controls include process or equipment modifications that reduce the amount of potentially hazardous materials to which an employee may be exposed. Isolation and ventilation are the primary methods of control. Engineering controls also include the maintenance, policing, and changing of work practices when necessary. 

Precautions should be taken to minimize the release of hazardous chemicals to the environment. A fume hood is a safety device and not a waste disposal facility. Therefore, fume hoods should not be used to dispose of volatile hazardous materials—to do so could cause toxic materials to be released. Special ventilation and exhaust systems, scrubbers, filters, or some other control equipment for discharges to the air or chemical sewer systems may be required under some circumstances. 

In all laboratory experiments and procedures, it is important that hazards be controlled or managed primarily by engineering measnres, snch as a laboratory hood, local exhaust ventilation, or a glove box. Ventilated enclosures can often be used for weighing chemicals. Best practices also include having a laboratory under negative pressure with respect to the adjacent hallway so that hazardous chemical vapors are kept in the laboratory. In same cases, such as with the use of radioactive materials, personal hand, foot, or full-body monitors may be needed to control the spread of material into areas outside controlled laboratory facilities. 

The first eight listed solvents (green colored bad oimd) should be expected to perform similarly to a conventional vapor degreasing solvent — n-propyl bromide. Each is also prized as being priced as a commodity chemical. And the first four listed are charaaetized as being relatively non-hazardous because compliance with their exposure limits should be easily attained by emission and ventilation control. 

The hierarchy of controls refers to the order in which safety controls should be considered. First, employers should attempt to eliminate the hazard, for example do we really need that hazardous chemical to clean the part with Perhaps the task can be done by simply scrubbing harder with an abrasive pad. But, if that s not possible, or if that would introduce another hazard, then it is recommended to look for an alternative cleaner that is not hazardous or is less hazardous. If that is not possible, perhaps engineering controls such as ventilation can be installed. If that is not possible, then it is recommended that employers turn to administrative controls to reduce the time employees are exposed. As a last line of defense PPE should be used. This is an area where there is a clear dividing line between those companies with solid safety programs and those without. In companies without a safety program, there will typically be a major reliance on PPE, even though there could be some fairly inexpensive engineering controls used. 

Actions the organization has taken to minimize the exposure of employees to the chemical hazards. This can include the engineering controls which have been implemented such as ventilation or monitoring devices. It can also include policy positions which encourage or require that employees and their supervisors follow good safety practices at all times, and programs which provide incentives for them to do so or to penalize those who do not. 

The facility produces radioisotopes by chemically processing the fission products of irradiated uranium dioxide. These processes involve the generation of liquid solutions, the evolution of volatile radioactive gases, and the generation of significant inventories of residual radioactive materials that are solidified for temporary storage in the facility. These processes must be conducted in shielded locations with adequate ventilation and appropriate filtration for the control of contamination and the prevention of unmitigated releases of hazardous materials to the environment. 

Chemicals used in the quality control analyses in the shieided glove box (SGB) and ventilation hoods of the Quality Control Laboratory involve small (less than a liter) quantities of some acidic and basic chemicals, including ammonium thiocyanate, stannous chloride, sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acids, ferric sulfate, carrier solutions, ethyl acetate, sodium nitrite, chloroform, sodium hydroxide, and potassium iodide. Material Safety Data Sheets for any processes implemented in the HCF are reviewed in accordance with the SNL ES H Manual to identify any carcinogens or other hazardous materials. Operations in the SGB for preparation of various Mo-99 product dilution samples would require a small bulk supply of sodium hydroxide (0.1 N NaOH). Quality control analysis sample preparation operations require small bulk supplies of the above chemicals. Workers performing quaiify control analysis use chemical handling procedures as required by the Sandia ES H Manual. 

Ductless fume hoods are ventilated enclosures that have their own fan, which draws air out of the hood and through filters and ultimately recirculates it into the laboratory. The filters are designed to trap vapors generated in the hood and exhaust "clean" air back into the laboratory. These hoods usually employ activated carbon filta-s. The collection efficiency of the filters decreases o er time. Ductless fume hoods have extremely limited applications and should be used only where the hazard is very low, where the access to the hood and the chemicals used in the hood are carefully controlled, and under the supervision of a laboratory supervisor who is familiar with the serious limitations and potentially hazardous characteristics of these devices. If these limitations cannot be accommodated, then this type of device should not be used. 

Exposure to chemical and physical agents Ventilation and dust control Right-to-know/hazards communication... 

Engineering Controls Measures taken to prevent or minimize hazard exposure through the application of controls such as improved ventilation, noise reduction techniques, chemical substitution, equipment and facility modifications, etc. 

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