Labor & Industries (L&I), Washington State

Hazardous Waste Operations Chapter 296-843, WAC

Effective Date: 05/01/04

Worker and Equipment Decontamination WAC 296-843-150

For printing

Your responsibility:

To make sure the necessary facilities and equipment for effective decontamination are available and used

You must

Establish and implement decontamination procedures before any worker or equipment enters a contaminated area	WAC 296-843-15005
Provide showers and changing rooms	WAC 296-843-15010
Provide washing facilities	WAC 296-843-15015

WAC 296-843-15005
Establish and implement decontamination procedures before any worker or equipment enters a contaminated area

You must

• Establish, implement, and communicate decontamination procedures to all workers, to include the following:
  • – Standard operating procedures to minimize worker contact with:
    • Hazardous substances
    • Contaminated equipment
  • – Decontaminating all:
    • Workers leaving a contaminated area
    • Equipment leaving a contaminated area
  • – Decontaminating, cleaning, laundering, repairing, or replacing protective clothing or equipment (PPE) as needed to maintain effectiveness
  • – Immediate removal of clothing, such as cotton coveralls, wet with hazardous substances and use of the nearest shower
    • Decontaminate or dispose of clothing before removal from the work zone
    – Periodically monitoring procedures for effectiveness by the site safety and health supervisor
  • – Correct your procedures when found ineffective
  • – Establish decontamination areas to minimize contact of contaminated employees and equipment with uncontaminated employees or equipment
  • – Make sure only authorized employees remove protective clothing or equipment from changing rooms
  • – Inform commercial laundries or cleaning establishments about the potentially harmful effects from exposure to hazardous substances
  • – Properly decontaminate or dispose of decontamination equipment and solvents.

WAC 296-843-15010
Provide showers and changing rooms

You must

• Provide changing areas and showers outside a contaminated area, when needed for worker decontamination, that include at least the following:
  • – Separate changing areas:
    • One to provide a clean area where employees can remove, store, and put on street clothing with an exit leading off the work site
    • Another where employees can put on, remove, store, and dispose of work clothing and PPE with an exit leading to the work site
    – A shower area separating the changing areas.
• Prevent clean areas from being contaminated by hazardous substances
• Provide and use other effective means for worker cleansing, if temperature conditions prevent the effective use of water
• Locate showers and change rooms where worker exposures are below permissible exposure limits (PELs) or other published exposure levels.
  • – If this can't be accomplished, use a ventilation system to supply air that is below the PELs or published exposure levels.
• Make sure all workers shower at the end of their work shift or before they leave the site, when needed for worker decontamination.

Illustration 3 is a sample diagram of a change room layout.

WAC 296-843-15015
Provide washing facilities

You must

• Provide adequate washing facilities to employees working in hazardous waste operations that are:
  • – Close and convenient to the work area
  • – Located in areas where employee exposure is below PELs or other published exposure levels
  • – Equipped so an employee can remove hazardous substances from themselves without assistance.