Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
Abstract
The dumping of hazardous waste poses a significant threat to the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 1995 data show that EPA managed about 277 million metric tons of hazardous waste at licensed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) sites.(1) Hazardous waste is a serious safety and health problem that continues to endanger human and animal life and environmental quality. Hazardous waste -- discarded chemicals that are toxic, flammable or corrosive -- can cause fires, explosions, and pollution of air, water, and land. Unless hazardous waste is properly treated, stored, or disposed of, it will continue to do great harm to all living things that come into contact with it now or in the future. Because of the seriousness of the safety and health hazards related to hazardous waste operations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard, Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.120 (See Federal Register 54 (42): 9294-9336, March 6, 1989) to protect workers in this environment and to help them handle hazardous wastes safely and effectively. State, county, and municipal employees such as police, ambulance workers, and firefighters with local fire departments will be covered by the regulations issued by the 25 states operating their own OSHA-approved safety and health programs (see listing at the end of this booklet). EPA regulations will cover these employees in states without state plans. These regulations will be based on OSHA's standard.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA400370
Entities
Organizations
- United States Department of Labor