Chapter 3

Hazardous Materials: Information Resources

Introduction

• Chemical information available through variety of sources

• Shipper and facility required to maintain certain documents

• Know what information is available

• Understand how to interpret the information in common sources

3.2

Emergency Response Guidebook

• DOT makes one copy for every emergency response apparatus in the country

• Referred to as the DOT book or the orange book

• Published about every three years• Provides information regarding potential

hazards• One of the only books that provides

specific evacuation recommendations

3.3

3.4

Figure 3-1 The DOT Emergency Response Guidebook should be found in every emergency vehicle in the United States. It provides chemical emergency response information that is valuable to the first responder.

Emergency Response Guidebook (cont'd.)

• Consists of these major sections:– Placard information– ADR/RID marking system information– Listing by DOT identification number– Alphabetical listing by shipping name– Response guides– Table of initial isolation and protective action

distances– List of dangerous water-reactive materials

3.5

3.6

Figure 3-13 A large spill of ethyl isocyanate (ID 2481) is listed as having an isolation distance of 1,700 feet in all directions. In such a case, responders need to protect those persons downwind for 7+ miles.

Emergency Response Guidebook (cont'd.)

• Provides contact numbers for agencies in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico

• Yellow section: numerical listing by DOT ID

• Blue section: mirrors yellow, but alphabetical by shipping name

• Orange section: 61 guides for more than 4000 chemicals– Three sections: potential hazards, public

safety, emergency response

3.7

Emergency Response Guidebook (cont'd.)

• Emergency response section hints:– Fight fire from a distance using unstaffed

monitors– Withdraw immediately if sound level from

venting devices rises– Cool containers with flooding quantities of

water until well after the fire is out

• First aid section: basic medical treatment

3.8

Using the DOT Emergency Response Guidebook

• Resist rushing in• Approach incidents from an uphill/upwind

direction• Identify the material by finding one of the

following:– Four digit ID on placard/ID panel– Four digit ID number on shipping document or

package– Name of material on shipping document,

placard, or package

3.9

Using the DOT Emergency Response Guidebook

(cont’d.)• Look up the three digit guide

number of the material in either:– ID number index– Name of the material index

• Turn to the numbered guide

3.10

3.11

Figure 3-14 Software is available that can plot toxic gas cloud plumes, which can help determine isolation areas and guide evacuation decisions.

Material Safety Data Sheets

• Result of the hazard communication standard

• Employers with larger than “household quantities” must create MSDS

• Required to have a variety of information

• Intent is to protect employees working at the facility

3.12

Material Safety Data Sheets (cont'd.)

• Quality of information varies from MSDS to MSDS

• Typical MSDS provides a worst-case scenario

• Firefighter should rely more on technical information on MSDS

• MSDS has remained the same since inception

3.13

Using the MSDS Wisely

• Always use more than one source of information

• Determine action plan using MSDS– Determine chemical threat– Don appropriate level PPE– If material has released, follow evacuation

procedure and secure building– Determine which extinguishing agents are

required

3.14

Accidents and How the MSDS Relates

• Chemical information on MSDS usually presents hazards associated with particular product

• Once product is placed in a process some factors may change– Increase, decrease, or elimination of

hazards• Factors include:

– Reactions with other chemicals– Changes in temperature, pressure, or

physical characteristics

3.15

MSDS in the Workplace

• Employers to provide employees with an MSDS for every hazardous chemical

• An MSDS provides information on physical/chemical characteristics and first-aid procedures

• Example: Figure 3-16 in text

3.16

MSDS in the Workplace (cont’d.)

• Can be insufficient depending on provider– Vagueness– Technical jargon– Understandability– Product versus process– Missing information

3.17

Shipping Papers

• Shipping papers generally provide the following information:– Shipping company– Destination of packages– Emergency contact information– Number and weight of packages– Proper shipping name of materials– Hazard class of materials– Special notation for hazardous materials

3.18

Mode of Transportation

• Shipping papers are also called a bill of lading

• Papers should be close to the driver• On tank trucks a duplicate set is located

in a tube attached near landing gear• Hazardous materials are sometimes

color coded• For rail, shipping papers are called

consist or waybill and placed in control of the engineer

3.19

Mode of Transportation (cont'd.)

• Most railcars are identified well– Standard Transportation Commodity

Code (STCC)• Seven-digit number• Number beginning with “49” are

hazardous• On a ship, papers are called

dangerous cargo manifest (DCM) and placed in control of the captain

• In air, shipping paper are called Air Bills and placed in control of the captain

3.20

Facility Documents

• Those with an MSDS requirement:– Tier 2 form– Site plan

• Those with extremely hazardous substances (EHS)– Emergency plan

• Many facilities leave MSDS binder at gate with security guard

• SARA reports updated annually and should be reviewed by responders

3.21

Computer Resources

• Chemical information texts are also available on CD-ROM

• Use of Computer-Aided Management for Emergency Operations (CAMEO) program– Easily accessed– Can be used by first responders– Ability to provide vapor cloud model

• MSDS electronically– CDs, Internet

3.22

3.23

Figure 3-17 A toxic gas cloud projection model known as Aloha is part of the hazardous materials software program CAMEO.

Chemtrec

• Chemical Transportation Emergency Center– Information service provided by

American Chemistry Council– Chemtrec service

• Chemtrec is well connected• Chemtrec does not make

regulatory notifications

3.24

Chemtrec (cont'd.)

• Responder should have the following information when calling Chemtrec:– Caller’s name and phone number– Name of the shipper or manufacturer– Shipping paper information

• Canadian equivalent is called CANUTEC

• Mexican equivalent is SETIQ• All three emergency contact numbers

provided in DOT ERG3.25

Reference and Information Texts

• Many texts available from a variety of sources

• Every apparatus should carry several reference sources

• DOT ERG is fairly easy to use• Reference texts slanted toward

group that develops the text• No one book is the “only” book to

use3.26

3.27

Figure 3-18 Several common hazardous materials reference sources, including the NIOSH pocket guide and the Sax guide to Dangerous Properties to Industrial Materials.

Industrial Technical Assistance

• Each community usually has a technical specialist in a given field

• Many areas of the country have industrial mutual aid groups designed to assist each other

• Each industrial facility usually has a person responsible for safety and health

• Many facilities have industrial hygienists

3.28

Lessons Learned

• Obtain as much information as possible

• Information combined with reference sources can provide useful data

• Obtain as much information as possible prior to arriving on scene

• Responders should not take risks attempting to get this information

3.29