Hazardous
Materials—Overview
This
website provides comprehensive information on how to handle
hazardous materials from the point at which they enter
to the point at which they exit your facility. It is
important to understand the difference between the general
term "hazardous materials" and the more specific
term "hazardous wastes".
- "Hazardous
materials" generally applies to certain
raw materials or products, purchased from outside
suppliers, that are stored and used at your facility.
- "Hazardous
wastes" is a term with a specific legal
meaning that applies to certain materials that have
been generated as wastes from processes carried out
at your facility.
This
page provides some basic background information on the
rules -- where they come from, what their purpose is, and
who enforces them. You will also find links to additional
pages with more detailed discussions of specific hazardous
materials commonly found in healthcare facilities, and
to information on specific management issues.
What
is a hazardous material?
In general
terms, materials are designated as "hazardous materials" when
they pose a significant risk to people or property. The
specific definitions depend on the agencies that write
the rules.
Hazardous
materials are of particular concern for:
Worker
Health and Safety
The
federal Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA),
and its counterpart agencies at the state level, are
responsible for developing and enforcing the rules for
hazardous materials that relate to worker health and
safety issues.
The rules
cover two main topics:
- determining
whether a particular material poses a risk to workers
- informing
workers when they need to take appropriate precautions
A material's
manufacturer (or the importer, if it is manufactured in
another country) is responsible for determining whether
or not a material is hazardous from a worker safety standpoint. OSHA
provides detailed
guidance for how this determination is to be carried
out.
If
a material is determined to be hazardous, the manufacturer
or importer must provide a Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS) to its customers. Any company that uses
these chemicals in the workplace must communicate information
on the hazards and provide appropriate training to any
worker who might be affected by the material.
Transportation
The
federal Department of Transportation and its state counterparts
write the rules for determining whether or not a material
is hazardous from a transportation safety standpoint. The
determination generally involves a somewhat different set
of criteria from worker health and safety concerns.
The
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's page on complying
with Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations contains
descriptions of what types of materials are considered
hazardous under federal transportation regulations, and
summarizes the responsibilities of transporters that
carry those materials.
More
information on hazardous materials
The
HERC website provides specific information on the following common
hazardous materials in healthcare facilities:
You
can also find guidance for managing hazardous
materials onsite covering the following topics:
What
is a hazardous waste?
The
term "hazardous waste" is reserved for materials
that meet very specific criteria spelled out in the federal
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the regulations
associated with it.
Hazardous
waste regulations are developed and enforced by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), and by state and local environmental
agencies.
Any
facility that generates hazardous wastes is subject to
detailed rules concerning topics such as
- how
the wastes must be stored on site
- how
long they may be stored
- who
is allowed to transport and receive them
- what
kinds of records have to be maintained
The
basic regulatory approach taken by RCRA is to separate
the responsibilities of those who generate hazardous
waste from those who treat and dispose of it. It
is easy to qualify as a generator of hazardous waste,
and much harder to qualify as a "treatment, storage,
and disposal", or "TSD" site.
If
your facility generates hazardous waste, you are required
to obtain an EPA Identification Number. (You may
be exempt in some states if the quantity you generate
is small enough.) EPA provides a useful
booklet with details on the procedure to follow.
More
information on hazardous waste More
information on hazardous
waste management and disposal is available on the HERC
website, covering the following topics:
Managing
Hazardous (RCRA) Wastes
Disposal
and Recycling
How
does a material become a hazardous waste?
There
are two primary ways that a waste material can become classified
as a hazardous waste, subject to the RCRA requirements:
-
Listed
wastes: Wastes
from certain industrial processes are automatically
classified as hazardous. Each waste of this
type is given a code number. The full list
of hazardous waste codes appears in the Code of
Federal Regulations, 40
CFR 261".
-
Characteristic
wastes: Wastes that do not appear on
the CFR lists may nevertheless be classified as
hazardous if they have one of four properties:
- ignitability
- corrosivity
- reactivity
- toxicity
In
addition, materials can acquire hazardous waste status
if they are mixed with, or contaminated with, or are
derived from, other wastes that are themselves hazardous.
The
generator of the waste is responsible for determining
if the waste is hazardous. The rules can get complicated.
In
addition to determining whether a waste is hazardous,
you will need to know how each particular waste is classified. The
rules that apply to your facility will depend on how
much waste, and what type of waste, you generate. Misclassifications
can (and do) lead to citations and penalties.
The Hazardous
Waste Determination page provides more detailed
information on this critical topic.
|
