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Hazardous Materials
Incidents
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Explain that from industrial, chemical, and toxic waste to household
detergents and air fresheners, hazardous materials are part of our everyday
lives.
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Display Visual
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Hazardous Materials Are . . .
Substances that because
of their chemical nature, pose a potential risk to life, health, or property
if they are released or used improperly.
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Tell
the participants that hazardous materials are substances that because
of their chemical nature, pose a potential risk to life, health, or property
if they are released or used improperly.
Point out that hazards can exist during:
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Production.
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Storage.
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Transportation.
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Use.
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Disposal.
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Ask Question
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What are some potential sources of hazardous materials? |
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Allow the participants time to respond. Summarize the
discussion using the visual.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Display Visual
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Sources of Hazardous Materials
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Chemical plants
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Service stations
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Hospitals
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Hazardous materials waste sites
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Transport vehicles
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Explain that potential sources of hazardous materials can
include:
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Chemical plants.
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Local service stations, which store and dispense gasoline and
diesel fuel.
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Hospitals,
which store a range of radioactive and flammable materials.
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Hazardous materials waste sites, of which there are approximately 30,000 in the
United States.
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Transport vehicles, including trucks, trains, ships, and aircraft.
Stress that hazardous materials incidents can range from
a chemical spill on a highway to groundwater contamination by naturally
occurring methane gas. Hazardous materials incidents can occur anywhere.
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Ask Question
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How can you tell which hazardous materials might be present in your
community? |
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Allow the group time to respond. Then, point out that
many communities have Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)
that identify industrial hazardous materials and keep the community informed
of the potential risk. All companies that have hazardous chemicals must
report annually to the LEPC. The public is encouraged to participate in
the process.
Urge the participants to contact their local emergency
management office to find out if their community has an LEPC and how
they can participate.
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Instructor’s Note
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Take a few moments to discuss the potential sources of hazardous materials
in your community. |
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Ask Question
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How can you prepare for a hazardous materials incident? |
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Allow the participants time to respond. Summarize the
discussion using the visual.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Display Visual
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Hazardous Materials
Incident Preparedness
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Find out what could happen.
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Address the hazards in your family emergency plan.
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Practice and maintain your plan.
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Learn the warning and information system for your community.
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Be sure to cover all of the points below.
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Find out what could happen to you.
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Ask your LEPC or emergency management office about community plans
for responding to hazardous materials accidents at local plants or other
facilities, or transportation accidents involving hazardous materials.
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Ask your LEPC about storage and use of hazardous chemicals in your
local area. Remember that some toxic chemicals are odorless.
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Use the information gathered to evaluate the risks to your
household. Determine how close you are to factories, freeways, or railroads
that may produce or transport toxic waste. |
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Address the hazards in your family emergency plan.
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Be prepared to evacuate. An evacuation could last for a few hours or
several days.
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Be prepared to shelter in place; that is, to seek safety in your home
or any other building you might be in at the time of a chemical release. At
home, you should select an interior room to be used as a “safe room.”
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Assemble a shelter kit to be used to seal the shelter room should a
chemical release occur.
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Practice and maintain your plans for personal or family response to a hazardous
materials incident.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Learn the warning and information system for your community.
Find out how local officials will notify you of a hazardous materials
situation and what you should do to protect yourself and your family or
coworkers.
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Warning procedures could include:
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Outdoor warning sirens or horns.
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Emergency Alert System (EAS)—Information provided by radio and television.
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“All-Call” telephoning—An automated system for sending recorded messages.
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Residential route alerting—Messages announced to neighborhoods from vehicles
equipped with public address systems.
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Instructor’s Note
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Take this opportunity to explain your community’s warning system for
hazardous materials incidents. If your community uses a siren system, be
sure to draw distinctions between the sirens used for fires, tornadoes,
etc., and hazardous materials incidents. |
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Ask Question
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What kind of room should be selected for sheltering in place within your
home? |
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Allow the participants time to respond. If not mentioned
by the group, explain that a safe room should:
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Be above ground.
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Be large enough to accommodate all household members and pets.
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Have the fewest possible exterior doors and windows.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Ask Question
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What should you do when you witness (or smell) a hazardous materials
incident, or if you hear a warning signal? |
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Allow the participants time to respond. Summarize the
discussion using the visual.
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Display Visual
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During a Hazardous
Materials Incident
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Leave the area!
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Report the incident.
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If hearing a warning, listen for instructions.
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Describe for the group the initial steps to take in case of a hazardous
materials incident:
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Leave the area immediately. Report the emergency from a safe
location uphill and upwind from the emergency site.
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If you witness (or smell) a hazardous materials incident, call
9-1-1, your local emergency notification number, or the fire
department, as
soon as possible.
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If you hear a warning signal, listen to local radio or television
stations for further information. Then, follow instructions
carefully.
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Instructor’s Note
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Remind the group that some toxic chemicals are odorless. |
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Display Visual
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During a Hazardous
Materials Incident
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Stay away from the incident site.
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If outside, stay upstream, uphill, and upwind.
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If in a motor vehicle, stop and find shelter.
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If asked to evacuate, do so immediately.
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If requested, stay indoors—shelter in place.
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Use
the visual to emphasize additional measures that the participants should
take during a hazardous materials incident.
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Stay away from the incident site to minimize the risk of contamination.
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If you are caught outside, remember that gases and mists are generally heavier
than air. Try to stay upstream, uphill, and upwind. (Hazardous
materials can be quickly transported by water and wind.) Try to go at least
one-half mile (10 city blocks) from the danger area; for many incidents, you
will need to go much farther.
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If you are in a vehicle, stop and find shelter
in a permanent building, if possible. If you must remain in your car, keep
car windows and vents closed, and shut off the air conditioner and heater.
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If asked to evacuate your home, do so immediately.
If authorities indicate that there is enough time, close all windows, shut
vents, and turn off attic, heating, and air conditioning fans to minimize
contamination.
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If requested, stay indoors—shelter in place.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Stress these additional precautions:
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Avoid contact with spilled liquids, airborne mists, or condensed solid chemical
deposits. Keep your body fully covered to provide some protection. Wear
gloves, socks, shoes, pants, and a long-sleeved shirt.
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Do not eat food or drink water that may have been contaminated.
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Ask Question
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What should you do if asked to shelter in place? |
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Allow the participants time to respond.
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Display Visual
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If Asked to Shelter
in Place
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Get household members and pets inside.
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Close and lock exterior doors and windows.
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Turn off air conditioners and ventilation systems.
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Go to the pre-selected safe room.
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Emphasize the need to follow all of the instructions given by emergency
authorities. Use the visual to explain the steps to take if asked to
shelter in place:
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Get household members and pets inside as quickly as possible.
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Close and lock all exterior doors and windows.
Close vents, fireplace dampers, and as many interior doors as possible.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Turn off air conditioners and ventilation systems.
In large buildings, building superintendents should set all ventilation
systems to 100 percent recirculation so that no outside air is drawn into
the building. If this is not possible, ventilation systems should be turned
off.
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Go into the pre-selected safe room (the above-ground room with the fewest openings
to the outside). Take a battery-powered radio, water, sanitary supplies, a
flashlight, and your disaster supply kit (which should include pre-cut
plastic sheeting for windows and vents, duct tape, modeling clay for sealing
cracks, and a towel for under the door).
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Close doors and windows in the room.
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Tape around the sides, bottom, and top of the door.
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Cover each window and vent in the room with a single piece of plastic
sheeting, taping around all edges of the sheeting to provide a continuous
seal.
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If there are any cracks or holes in the room, such as those around
pipes entering a bathroom, fill them with modeling clay or other similar
material.
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Tell the group that they should follow these additional
precautions when sheltering in place during a hazardous materials incident:
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Remain in the room, listening to emergency broadcasts on the radio, until
authorities advise you to leave your shelter.
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If authorities warn of the possibility of an outdoor explosion,
close all drapes, curtains, and shades in the room. Stay away from
windows to prevent injury from breaking glass.
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When authorities advise people in your area to leave their safe
rooms, open all doors and windows and turn on air conditioning and
ventilation systems. These measures will flush out any chemicals that
infiltrated into the building.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Ask Question
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What about picking up children from school? |
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Point out that schools and other public buildings may institute procedures
to shelter in place. If there is a hazardous materials incident while
schools are in session, it may not be permissible to drive to the school to
pick children up.
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Ask Question
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What actions should you take after a hazardous materials incident? |
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Allow the participants time to respond. Then, use the
visual to discuss post-incident actions.
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Display Visual
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Post-incident Actions
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Do not return home until instructed.
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Open windows and vents and turn on fans.
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Follow decontamination procedures.
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Learn how to clean up land and property.
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Report any lingering hazards.
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Describe the following actions that the participants should take after a
hazardous materials incident:
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If evacuated, do not return home until local authorities say that it
is safe.
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Upon returning home, open windows and vents, and turn on fans to
provide ventilation.
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Hazardous Materials
Incidents (Continued)
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Follow decontamination procedures for persons or items that have been exposed to a
hazardous chemical:
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Depending on the chemical, you may be advised to take a thorough
cool shower or to stay away from water and follow another procedure.
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Seek medical treatment for unusual symptoms as soon as possible.
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If medical help is not immediately available, remove all of your
clothing and shower thoroughly (unless local authorities say that the
chemical is water reactive and advise you to do otherwise). Cut off
clothing that would normally be removed by pulling over the head.
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Change into fresh, loose clothing and seek medical help as soon as
possible.
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Place exposed clothing and shoes in tightly sealed containers. Do
not allow them to have contact with other materials. Ask local authorities
about proper disposal.
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Advise everyone who comes into contact with you that you may have
been exposed to a toxic substance.
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Find out from local authorities how to clean up your land and
property.
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Report any lingering vapors or other hazards
to your local emergency service office.
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Ask the participants if anyone has additional questions,
comments, or concerns about hazardous materials incidents.
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