Health and safety is ultimate for the proper maintenance of hazardous waste management facilities worldwide. The purpose of this article is to share with you some tips for the safe storage and handling of hazardous waste materials. The goal is to reduce the risk to human health and to the environment from potential harm and injury. The following occupational health and safety equipment must be provided at each hazardous waste site, regular on-site trainings must be provided, and mock inspections should be conducted.
Maintaining a safe and functional work environment is absolutely essential for long-term safe operation of any industrial activity. This includes ensuring that there are no leaks or inadequate ventilation or waste disposal. The site remediation and contamination response plan must address this need. It must also address the issue of long-term chronic toxicity. There are numerous instances of workers suffering from long-term health problems after being exposed to hazardous waste for many years.
One way of addressing the issue of long-term health risk is to implement an EPA or Emissions efficiency Improvement system. An EPA is an electronic database that contains detailed information on all types of hazardous waste produced in a facility. This information is fed into a central control panel that can be accessed by trained employees for prompt identification and remedy. By using an EPA, trained employees will be able to identify the source of a leak, the quantity of waste present, and the proximity to a leak or other problem. Proper drainage procedures and leak detection system can also be identified and corrected.
Another key aspect of a hazardous waste management program is the identification and replacement of hazardous waste materials as needed. This can take place on an annual basis, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly basis. On an annual basis, solid wastes should be replaced, while liquids and gaseous wastes should be disposed of according to the recommended procedures. For a facility to implement an effective hazardous waste management program, the Manager should ensure that all hazardous waste materials are destroyed or recycled on-site in a safe manner.
The Health and environmental issues effected by hazardous waste management facilities may seem numerous at first. However, if you stop to think about it, there really is only one underlying cause – inadequate ventilation of the environment. Poor air quality inside of these facilities contributes to contamination of the environment. In fact, most of these issues emanate from the fact that there are no adequate means of venting the environment. For this reason, it is vital to implement appropriate measures such as proper ventilation, on-site recycling or diversion, and removal, etc.
It is essential to identify the hazards within a facility before they are allowed to become a hazard. Once these wastes facility is discovered, proper actions should be taken. However, before that can happen, it is imperative to adhere to all of the various regulations set forth by the US Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. These agencies have set down regulations that are mandatory for each facility handling hazardous substances. While a facility may be inspected once in a lifetime, abiding by all of the regulations set forth by them is a necessity in the long-term.