Site safety

OSHA- Occupational Health and Safety Administration The U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, OSHA, is a federal government agency in the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA s Web site is http //www.osha.gov/. The primary goals of OSHA are to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect the health of America s workers. OSHA employs over 2,000 inspectors to ensure job site safety. OSHA was created by the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act of 1970. While many see OSHA as an intrusive government agency intent on enforcing arcane rules, the fact is that OSHA saves lives. And if that is not enough... 

Eor example, the federal Oeeupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates asbestos, lead, and other hazardous substanees. It would be very diffieult to provide the reader with every regulatory ageney that may have jurisdietion over hazardous materials. It is not our intent to provide the reader with every detail. However, the information offered in this book ean aid the reader in general eompli-anee issues and assist in planning for safety. This, in the long run, will help to improve on-site safety performanee. 

The organizational chart further identifies key positions in the project team, including the project director, project manager, site safety and health officer (SSHO), site supervisor, emergency response coordinator, site security, and other specialized positions. 

The PM is probably ultimately responsible to make sure that all project activities are completed in accordance with requirements as outlined in the HASP. In some cases the PM may be required to perform at least one on-site safety review during the project. The PM is also responsible for making sure that all incidents are reported promptly and... 

In some eases there no set requirements for a site safety and health offieer (SSHO). Under the DOE there are usually speeifie requirements outlined in the seope of work. However, assigning an SSHO who does... 

The safety alert concept is another tool that can be used by large or small businesses to communicate past best practices and indicate a path forward. On a daily basis, lessons learned should be communicated in a site safety meeting. A worker or supervisor may have discovered that a current practice could cause a potentially dangerous situation. Many times the correction or long-term fix for a hazard involves engineering... 

Contract documents should be reviewed. The HASP should reflect and possibly reference contractual agreements. Contract documents can contain much information pertinent to site safety. For example, many contracts contain monetary incentives for completion of site work accident free. If management wishes to share some of this monetary incentive with site workers, the HASP is an excellent vehicle for communicating safety incentive programs. 

The information that follows summarizes the findings of audits and site safety and health plan (SSAHP) reviews performed for eleven... 

The Site I subeontraetor also laeked a baekup safety and health supervisor fully trained in site safety and health management. The aeting health and safety speeialist (HSS) at Site E was a site worker who had held the position for one week. This individual stated to the audit team that he did not meet the eorporate or SSAHP qualiheations required to hold that position. Apparently, while the Site E eontraetor was waiting for the results of the LTEV performanee test and the unit was not in operation, site management determined that less health and safety oversight was needed. 

The regular HSS was on a month s leave. Responsibility for management of site safety and health at Site A was assigned to several individuals ineluding the response manager, the Teehnieal Assistanee Team (TAT), health and safety oflfieer (HSO), and the on-seene eoordinator. It was not elear at the time of the audit whieh of these individuals aetually fulfilled the role of full-time HSO, nor was it elear how these individuals would eoordinate and eommunieate on overlapping health and safety issues. 

To maintain adeqnate site control, the site safety and health snpervi-sor mnst have the anthority to enforce the SSAHP s rnles on any individ-nal present at the site, whether that individnal is an employee or an ontside contractor. If there is more than one SSAHP (i.e., if each contractor develops its own), OSHA considers it essential that the plans he integrated and enforced consistently to ensnre that on-site personnel have a clear nnder-standing of safety and health expectations, lines of anthority, and emergency response actions. 

The OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.120) mandates that site safety and health programs require task- and operation-speeifie hazard analyses be eondueted at the site. These analyses are intended to ensure a eom-prehensive and systematie approaeh to hazard antieipation, reeognition, and evaluation at hazardous waste sites. Sinee work operations and site eonditions ehange at different stages of the remediation proeess, the potential hazards assoeiated with eaeh operation must be reevaluated periodieally to ensure that employees reeeive appropriate proteetion. 

Exposure monitoring had not been eondueted at Site A. The deeision not to eonduet monitoring was appropriately doeumented in the site safety plan and was based on the nature of the eontami-nated material. The sediments were always saturated, and the likelihood of airborne eoneentrations of PCBs was extremely low. Area samples had been eolleeted at the waste pad where the material was air-dried prior to shipping. Sample results were below the deteetable limits. 

The site safety plan indieated, however, that noise monitoring was required, but neither area noise surveys nor personnel dosimetry had been eondueted. 

Site H was the only site for whieh the eontraetor had developed and effeetively implemented inspeetion proeedures eonsistent with the HAZWOPER requirements. Site safety teehnieians eondueted daily and weekly inspeetions during eaeh work shift. The teehnieians reeorded defi-eieneies on an inspeetion eheeklist, and the site health and safety offieer... 

Wlien a contractor/subcontractor is hired to perform work in a potentially hazardous area on one of your facilities or that of a client, the project manager shall provide the contractor/subcontractor a copy of the contractor site safety rules checklist for completion. The form and any other rules specific to that site must be signed, dated, and returned prior to any work being performed at a particular site. An executed copy will be made a part of the project file. 

Names of personnel and alternates responsible for site safety and health [OSHA Referenee (i)]... 

A site safety and health supervisor who has authority to develop and implement the plan [OSHA Referenee, 120(b)(2)(i)(B)]... 

Does the site safety and health officer have the authority to upgrade the required level of PPE when site conditions warrant ... 

Monitoring of decon procedures by site safety and health supervisor to determine effectiveness [OSHA Reference, 120(k)(2)(iv)] Steps to be taken when deficiencies are found [OSHA Reference, 120(k)(2)(iv)]... 

The extent of cleanup that is necessary to protect human health and welfare aries with different use ctitegories. Residential development is probably the most sensiti e type of land use because of the long-term and multiple e.xposure routes and because of potential e.xposure to the most sensitive population segments (e.g., children and elderly persons). E.xcavation and removal appears to be the remedial tiction alternative selected at most sites where there is redevelopment. This is because no one can guaratitee tliat a site is stife (i.e., offers zero risk) unless all contaminants are removed. Neitlier a developer nor a municipality can accept responsibility for site safety as long as haznrdous materials remain there. In situ treatment approtiches are seldom iewed is the best option because they are unproven and because 100% detoxification or stabilization caimot be achieved. 

Medical station - Site safety map - Up-to-date site safety plans Providing access to up-to-date safety and health manuals and other reference materials Interfacing with the public government agencies, local politicians, medical personnel, the media, and other interested parties Monitoring work schedules and weather changes Maintaining site security Sanitary facilities First-aid administration... 

Follow established safety policies. Incident investigation team members should lead by example by strictly following site safety policies. 

Results of experiments utilizing crushed rock and equilibration with waste solutions to determine sorption behavior cannot be extrapolated to actual aquifer conditions, even if B.E.T. surface area is known. This technique has been commonly used in the past to assess waste-storage-site safety. As the primary hydraulic conductivity decreases and secondary conductivity becomes more prominent, this methodology becomes less and less viable for input to modeling of waste transport. The method presented in this report should result in more realistic waste-transport modeling. 

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