Hazardous Materials articles

Who is trained (jan 1998)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:56:19 PST

WHO IS TRAINED

BY Richard Wolfe

The people who are to be trained in Hazardous Materials are so varied that the subject is hard to cover thoroughly. But we will cover the ones who are the most likely to be on the scene when we are.

Hazardous Waste or not

By Richard Wolfe

I recently attended a towing association meeting where the subject was if dry sweep and oil absorbent pads are considered hazardous waste or not. Also discussed was if we are...

Propane (January 2000)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:48:57 PST

Propane

By Richard Wolfe

Not all liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is propane, but all propane is LPG. ...

Hazardous Materials Rules (August 1993)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:09:32 PST

Hazardous Materials Rules

By Richard Wolfe

The transportation Safety Act of 1974 gave the Secretary of Transportation the job of designating a quantity and form of material,...

The dangers with concrete (december 1999)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:59:58 PST

THE DANGERS WITH CONCRETE...

Do you have all your MSDS's? (April 2000)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:24:27 PST

Do you have all your MSDS’s?

By Richard Wolfe

Well, this article might be a slight change from some of the ones that are usually in its place. This one is part information and...

What is going down the road (from 1992)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:16:09 PST

What is going down the road

July 28, 1983 Beaver, Utah

A 50 mile section of Interstate 15 was closed when 2400 gallons of
Sodium cyanide pellets were spilled from a truck.

December 13, 1988 Shelby, North Carolina

2000 gallons of gasoline was spilled when a tanker overturned.

December 23, 1988 Memphis, Tennessee

A propane truck carrying 9511 gallons of propane overturned on a freeway ramp, striking a section of an overpass and exploded, killing 9 people.

January 1, 1989 Tioga, Pennsylvania

8500 gallons of...

The ever informative “DANGEROUS” placard (Feburary 1993)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:11:08 PST

The ever informative "DANGEROUS" placard

While driving down the highway just outside of town, truck driver Ray Davies, who has been 2 times the allowable on duty driving time champion at "Fast and Cheap" trucking becomes a victim of Murphy's Law. You know the one about anything that can go wrong, does. The steering is loose, the brakes are out of adjustment and he has a blowout on the right front tire.

As he tries to regain control, he rolls the tractor and trailer onto its side and ends up in the ditch. All of this happens just 3 miles from his drop. Never mind the 19 hours by him self covering 1057 miles. As he is looking out the driver's side window at the sunset he is thinking about how PO'ed his boss is going to be.

The cargo consists of a mixed load for the local supermarket, inside he has 50 cases of Liquid Plumber, 25 cases of Safety Matches, 50 cases of Clorox, 400 cases of Beer, 300 cases of Soda, 450 cases of Motor Oil, 5000...

RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS (September 1993)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:10:06 PST

RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

Radioactive materials are transported everyday, by rail, truck and barges. The materials range from contaminated dirt to medical supplies, fuel rods for nuclear power plants and even weapons. The marking requirements range from placards to unmarked vehicles in special circumstances. Unmarked vehicles are sometimes used because the amount being shipped is not that great of a risk, or because it can cause a great deal of public unrest, remember the old white trains?
When the public sees or hears radioactive material, they get very upset and concerned. This is not because of knowledge, but rather the lack of understanding and knowledge about radioactive materials. They all picture the mushroom clouds from explosions.

But the safety standards and requirements for radioactive materials transportation are so strict that the chances of a major problem do exist,...

LIQUID OXYGEN 1073 (June 1993)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:09:18 PST

LIQUID OXYGEN 1073

Liquid Oxygen or LOX is a fun material to study, as we all know what oxygen does. Right because we breathe it, so you would think that is ok. Well it’s not, this is a NON FLAMMABLE GAS, it supports something as an OXIDIZER, meaning that hit helps it burn. Oh it’s also a cryogenic liquid (refrigerated).

It is a clear-pale blue odorless liquid with is obtained by compressing oxygen and then cooling it to below its boiling point with is minus 297.35 degrees Fahrenheit, its freezing point is minus 361.838 degrees. Some people might think that is a bit cool. Its specific gravity is 1.14 meaning it is heavier than air. But the main thing to remember is that it’s highly expansive, 857 -862 TOL. This means that in an 800 gallon tank, you could have over 690,000 cubic feet of gas.

The major uses of liquid oxygen are hospitals and welding operations to provide oxygen...

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESOURCES (from 1992)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:08:25 PST

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESOURCES

Ok, how do you tell what is going down the highways now that you have an interest in being safe. Well the first resource is the Department of Transportation, EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDEBOOK. This is available from:

J.J. Keller & Associates
145 West Wisconsin Avenue
Neenah, Wisconsin. 54956

Or, you can get it from

Labelmaster
5727 North Pulaski Road
Chicago, Illinois 60646

The Canadian counter part is “THE DANGEROUS GOODS GUIDE” available from:

Canadian Government Publishing Centre
Supply and Services Canada
Ottawa, Canada K1A OS9

These books give the basics but they will help keep you healthy. But what about something that is a bit more detailed....

GASOLINE 1203 (from 1992)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:06:56 PST

GASOLINE 1203

Gasoline, Gasohol, Motor Spirit, Motor Fuel, n.o.s., Petrol, yep that big expense for tow companies next to insurance.
A Hazardous Material what burns vigorously and with lots of black smoke. It is not considered highly toxic, but it is a skin irritant which will give you a rash. If you swallow it you will mess up your digestive systems with nausea, vomiting, and a few others including persistent belching. Breathing it is bad as it results in arrhythmias, and respiratory arrest.
For all you chemists out there, gasoline is a blend of isomers which is when the same number of atoms hooks up in a slightly different manner. The molecular formula for gasoline would look something like this C5H12 to C9H20, with the difference the properties and octane rating....

Conduct at an Hazardous Materials Accident (January 1993)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:06:08 PST

Conduct at an Hazardous Materials Accident

Well you got a call for your big truck to respond to an truck accident on the freeway, Fire it up and head out, When you get there you find the roadway blocked ½ mile back but you get waved though and you get as close as you can because of several police vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks and a strangely marked vehicle with "HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE TEAM" on it. Oh yeah, I forget about the safety tape all over the place. Hey what's that over there looks like spacemen around the truck in some funny yellow suits.

Well your first thought might be to leave, but you don't because you have an image to protect. Forget the image now! Be a real professional and stay and maybe learn something new. Here comes a highway patrolman and a firefighter so you get out of the truck and meet them in front of the tow truck.
Listen closely to what they are going to tell you because it concerns your health and that of the people...

CAUSTIC SODA 1823 OR 1824 (May 1993)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:05:09 PST

CAUSTIC SODA 1823 OR 1824

Sodium Hydroxide, Caustic Soda, Caustic, Lye, Soda Lye, Sodium Hydrate, White Caustic, all of these are synonyms for the same thing, and its chemical name is NaOH.
This is a base which means substances in water-solution that are slippery to the touch, taste bitter, react with acids to form salts, and as a consequence bases are sometimes called Alkalines, or Alkaline.
Just as there are strong and weak acids, there are strong and weak Alkalines. When they are used in industrial processes they are sometimes called caustic soda. Dictionaries make no distinction between Caustic and Corrosive. Both mean about the same thing, just a different word. Like Ford- Mercury, Toyota – Lexus, etc.

The description is a substance capable of destroying or eating away organic substances; Flesh, Hair, Leather, or Wood. Ouch keep it...

Dealing with Radioactive materials accidents

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 22:02:39 PST

DEALING WITH RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL ACCIDENTS
By
Richard Wolfe

Ok here is an area of materials that is real dangerous; if it is not handled right. But this is also an area that has so many safety precautions that a major incident will not have a chance to get severe.
Radioactive Materials are transported everyday, in pickup trucks, cars, barges, railcars, semi trucks, and delivery trucks. The amount that is transported ranges from Medical supplies, to spent fuel rods, decommissioned reactor cores, to contaminated dirt. I once saw a barge shipment going up the Columbia river in Portland Oregon that was the reactor of a nuclear sub, and it had a navy warship escort. Of course the actual reactor was covered with tarps, but it had received a lot of press coverage so we knew what it was.
But this is the one...

Placards (printed September 2000)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:58:50 PST

PLACARDS, HOW TO READ THEM

Ok, the basic idea behind placards is to communicate the hazard to the public. This is done by utilizing a sign that is unique in shape, and colors, and a 4-digit number, which tells what the cargo is. Sounds simple enough but let me tell you that a lot of rules go into the kind of placard(s) that are required for shipments of hazardous materials. You can sometimes get away with only 1 placard, and sometimes you need 5 or 6 of them.

You also have to consider the compatibility of the materials that are transported; you don’t want to ship materials that are not real friendly when they are in the same space. Some things have a odor that would not be nice with others, and then some things if mixed can cause major problems, such as bleach and vinegar. The placarding system covers this to an extent also.
There are 9...

personal protection (printed May 1998)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:49:59 PST

PERSONAL PROTECTION

OK, the subject of today's article is protecting the person (and equipment YOU) so that you are healthy enough to keep using it. Personal protection is a very personal subject.
You need to know how to protect your self when you are dealing with Hazardous Materials. There are 4 levels of personal protection equipment that you need to be aware of. Level A, B, C, and D. These levels are recognized by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

Lets start with Level A, this level provides the highest level of protection against vapors, gases, mists, and particles. It is a fully encapsulating suit not only enveloping the wearer but also the self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Wearing this suit is only for trained people, as it is extremely heavy and bulks. It ranks right up...

Hazardous Material or not ?? (printed August 1998)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:48:49 PST

HAZARDOUS WASTE OR NOT
by
Richard Wolfe

I once attended a towing association meeting, and the subject was if Dry Sweep and Oil Absorbent pads are considered hazardous waste or not. Also discussed was if we are required to clean then up and dispose of them.
Much discussion was on this subject, as some towers are being told to pick them up and take them with the vehicle that caused the leak. Now if you do that, how do you dispose of them. Well that is a hard question to answer, because according to what I can find out, it depends on how you are going to get rid of them. Do you put it in the vehicle that cause the spill ?.
Lets look at it in simple steps. First, the vehicle caused the accident, and the spill. Insurance companies cover all related claims for the accident, IF the vehicle or person has coverage. In the case of a large spill, such as a overturned tanker, a environmental cleanup company would respond and take care of...

Hazardous materials locations (printed April 1998)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:46:37 PST

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS LOCATIONS

Ok now that we have a idea of what hazardous materials are, now we need to figure out where we will find them. So lets start with the basics. There are several methods of transporting Hazardous Materials.
Roadways
Railroads
Waterways
Airways
Pipelines

These are in all areas, and when in the course of your duties you might encounter one or more of them. You could possible run into a combination of these at 1 time. Several years ago a jet crashed in Detroit onto the highway, There you could have it by air and road, or how about a accident that hits a pipeline. Granted you are not going to be cleaning up the mess, but you might have to recover the vehicles.
Other places that you will encounter hazardous materials are:
Service Stations
Hardware stores
Doctors offices
Schools
Farm supply stores
Farms
Residences
Welding shops
Freight forwarding...

Hazardous materials defination {part2}(printed March 1998)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:45:29 PST

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WORDS pt 2

Ok here is the much awaited second part of Hazardous materials definitions. I know that some of this is real boring, (try taking the classes), but it might make you more aware of the stuff that is around you. So here goes nothing.

Acid - Compound containing Hydrogen that reacts with water to produce hydrogen ions; a proton donor; a liquid compound with a pH less than 2. Acidic chemicals are corrosive.

Air-Reactive Materials - Substances that ignite when exposed to air at normal temperatures. Also called Pyrophoric.

Alpha Radiation - Consists of particles having a large mass and a positive electrical charge; least penetrating of the 3 common forms of radioactive substances. It is not considered dangerous to plants, animals, or people unless it gets into the body.

Ambient Temperature - Temperature of the surrounding environment.

Atmospheric Pressure - Pressure exerted by the atmosphere at the surface of...