Health & Safety

TECH GUIDE

Reclamation sites can be a hazardous place to work unless proper health and safety precautions are taken. Physical hazards such as heavy equipment, trenches, and chemical hazards such as heavy metals and acidic water commonly exist on reclamation sites. Other hazards on-site may include: (i) exposure to other toxic chemicals, (ii) biological hazards, (iii) exposure to radiation, (iv) electrical, fire, and explosion hazards, (v) confined space hazards, (vi) exposure to extremely high or low temperatures, and (vii) exposure to high noise levels. The concern for worker safety was addressed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970. It created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (also referred to as OSHA) requiring employers, by law, to ensure that "no employee will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity even if they are exposed for the period of his/her working life" (OSHA, 1970).

Health and safety programs are established by the employer or a designated health and safety officer to ensure employee protection against hazards. If a company or agency does not have in-house employers or employees familiar with health and safety program requirements, certified Industrial Hygienists and Safety Professionals are hired to develop their programs. OSHA developed an Occupational Safety and Health Guidance Manual to aid in the development of health and safety programs for working in areas affected by hazardous waste (OSHA, 1985). All programs should include: (i) an organizational structure, (ii) development of site specific health and safety plans, (iii) 40 hours of Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training for all workers on site, and (iv) periodic employee medical examinations to test for exposure. Development of a comprehensive health and safety program is of utmost importance to worker safety. Often these programs are scrutinized very closely by government agencies involved in the projects to assure effectiveness and completeness.

The organizational structure specifies the chain of command and overall responsibilities of supervisors and employees. The organizational structure should include: (i) a General Supervisor, (ii) a Site Safety and Health Officer, and (iii) personnel responsible for on-site safety supervision. The general supervisor gives general over site, while the Site Safety and Health Officer is responsible for coordinating emergency response and developing site-specific health and safety plans. On-site personnel ensure that operations are run safely and that operations are in accordance with the site health and safety plan. If an emergency occurs, the on-site personnel will contact the Site Safety and Health Officer who will organize a response effort. The on-site personnel will provide initial emergency response and first aid.

Site-specific health and safety plans identify and analyze each task or operation on a worksite for potential hazards, and for each hazard, worker protection precautions are specified. Site health and safety plans are of key importance to worker protection as well as environmental protection. Information that should appear in the plan includes: (i) a listing of key safety and project personnel, emergency phone numbers, and locations of the nearest fire and police departments, ambulance, and hospitals, (ii) site maps, including hospital route, site location, and site feature maps, (iii) a description of hazards associated with proposed site operations, (iv) appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and mitigation measures necessary for protection against identified hazards, (v) medical examination histories for each employee, (vi) description of required worker training and records confirming that each employee meets the health and safety training requirements, (vii) air monitoring plans and techniques used, (viii) required safe work practices while performing assigned/scheduled tasks, (ix) decontamination procedures for people and equipment, (x) an emergency response plan, (xi) confined space procedures, and (xii) a spill containment plan.

Any worker at a superfund site must, by regulation (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120), undergo 40 hours of health and safety training. The training provides vital information on the protection and safety of personnel engaged in field operations dealing with hazardous substances. Course topics include: fundamentals of hazard recognition; toxicology; use and limitations of direct-reading air monitoring instruments; selection, use and limitations of personal protective equipment such as air-purifying respirators, self-contained breathing apparatus, and protective clothing. Depending on the level of risk, different levels of protection are worn on-site. They range from Level D which requires minimal protection including steel toed work boots, a hard hat, and work clothes with long sleeve shirts and pants, to Levels A and B which require a self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), where the worker breathes only bottled air that is carried on a back pack. Level A also requires the use of a fully encapsulated suit with attached rubber boots and gloves. Level B requires the use of a Tyvek suit with a hood and rubber boots worn over work boots. Special training for the use of SCBAs is included in the 40 hour HAZWOPER course. Levels C require the use of a less cumbersome air-purifying respirator and the same clothing protection as Level B.

Employees should be given medical examinations prior to employment, annual medical examinations, and emergency and non-emergency treatment. These examinations will be used to determine if employees have been exposed and possibly affected by various chemical hazards. The annual physical should include a pulmonary function test to demonstrate that the employee can safely use an air-purifying respirator while performing assigned duties. It is a regulatory requirement to provide medical examinations and to ensure that workers are fit to wear respiratory protection during the course of their job responsibilities.

For more information on Health and Safety, see LaGrega et al. (2001).

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