Site Health and Safety Plan

Site Health and Safety Plan

Anyone who enters a hazardous waste site must recognize and understand the potential hazards to health and safety associated with the cleanup of that site. Personnel actively involved in cleanup must be thoroughly familiar with programs and procedures contained in the Site Safety Plan and must be trained to work safely in contaminated areas. Visitors to a site must receive adequate training on hazard recognition and on the site's Standard Operating Procedures to enable them to conduct their visit safely.

The objectives of training programs for employees involved in hazardous waste site activities are:

• To make workers aware of the potential hazards they may encounter.

• To provide the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the work with minimal risk to worker health and safety.

• To make workers aware of the purpose and limitations of safety equipment.

• To ensure that hazardous waste site workers can safely avoid or escape from emergencies. The level of training provided should be consistent with the worker's job function and responsibilities. The training program should involve both classroom instruction in a wide range of health and safety topics and "hands-on" practice. Hands-on instruction should consist of drills in the field that simulate site activities and conditions. Any training program for work around hazardous substances should also incorporate onsite experience under the direct supervision of trained, experienced personnel. All training information should be presented in clear, concise language. Particularly important information, such as the Standard Operating Procedures, should be provided in writing. A variety of teaching aids should be used, and lecture sessions should be interspersed with class participation and hands-on training. All employees should also complete The training program should involve field drills that simulate emergency situations. Here workers wearing Level A personal protective equipment repair a leaking pipe as part of a training exercise. refresher training, at least annually, to reemphasize the initial training and to update workers on any new policies or procedures. To ensure that the Site Safety Plan is being followed, the Site Safety Officer should conduct a safety meeting prior to initiating any site activity and before and after each work day.

The purpose of these safety meetings is to:

• Describe the assigned tasks and their potential hazards.

• Coordinate activities.

• Identify methods and precautions to prevent injuries.

• Plan for emergencies.

• Describe any changes in the Site Safety Plan.

• Get worker feedback on conditions affecting safety and health. The Site Safety Officer should also conduct frequent inspections of site conditions, facilities, equipment, and activities to determine whether the Site Safety Plan is adequate and being followed.

At a hazardous waste site, risks to workers can change quickly and dramatically when there are changes in:

• Work and other site activities.

• State of degradation of containers and containment structures.

• State of equipment maintenance.

• Weather conditions.

In order to make safety inspections effective, the following guidelines should be observed:

• Develop a checklist for each site, listing the items that should be inspected.

• Review the results of these inspections with supervisors and workers.

• Reinspect any identified problems to ensure that they have been corrected. Document all inspections and subsequent follow-up actions. Retain these records until site activities are completed and as long as required by regulatory agencies. The minimum frequency at which inspections should occur varies with the characteristics of the site and the equipment used on site. Factors that need to be considered are:

• The severity of risk on site.

• Regulatory requirements.

• Operation and maintenance requirements.

• The expected effective lifetime of clothing, equipment, vehicles, and other items. Recommendations based on professional judgment, laboratory test results, and field experience.