Hazardous Materials Decontamination and Containment Key Terms

Some glowing terms for hazardous materials decontamination and containment

Emergency workers and others tasked with tough safety jobs know there's no magic bullet when it comes to containing toxins. However, the federal government, along with other parties, has created some general standard tools and methods for hazardous materials decontamination and containment. Knowing about some of these most common techniques for getting hazmat situations under control can help a business that needs to participate in safeguarding the public against toxic or hazardous substances.

 

OSHA

OSHA or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is the federal agency that oversees regulations for all kinds of workplace tasks including hazardous materials decontamination and containment. For anyone working with hazardous materials, knowing all about OSHA is key to safe handling.
Try: Find details on OSHA directly from the source at federal info pages like this one on What is OSHA?

PPE or Personal Protective Equipment

If you're involved in any hazmat type job, you probably know that PPE stands for personal protective equipment. But not everyone knows about all of the gear included in this category, from gloves and hats to safety respirators.
Try: See this OSHA page for more on PPE. Get links to articles like this one on PPE for hazmat handling at PubMed.

Portable decontamination systems

These kinds of apparatus are designed to quickly decontaminate an area. They generally include a tank and a spray system. They are made so that a person can wear them and carry them around easily.
Try: Get defining descriptions of a portable decontamination system at this page from Allen Vanguard. Take a look at some of these systems at OWR.

Pneumatic tents

Pneumatic tents are easily inflatable tents and are another very critical resource for chances at decontaminating an air space. Many hazmat teams keep these handy.
Try: Read a whole lot more about using the Vetter decontamination tent with documents available scanned in at Scribd.

Runoff

Runoff is simply any hazardous element that gets into the ground in the form of a liquid. Runoff can blend with groundwater for some pretty scary results. The above tools can help control airborne hazmat materials, but liquid ones need other strategies.
Try: Read about runoff controls at this Kentucky government document. See how hazmat crews might learn about containing runoff at Action-Training.

Quarantine

Quarantine is any isolation process that needs to be done to effectively control hazmat materials.
Try: See the facts while reading up on quarantine in depth at this resource from the state of Virginia.

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