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Site Safety

Todd Thalhamer, P.E.

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Health and Safety

Your safety your life

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Hazard Awareness

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We Make Mistakes

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Expensive Ones

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What is your PLAN

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What is your ROLE?

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What is your ROLE?

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Your Actions

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Your Actions

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Pre Plan and Training

FF IC Rescue Video

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Health and Safety Everyone's Responsibility Can one teach all the H&S protocols for landfill

fires in a two hour presentation? No. So your Goal:

to recognize the hazards Take action to protect your team Make a plan Hire a certified industrial hygienist with LF fire

experience

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Do you know how to communicate the

risks to the fire service? What are the risks and safety concerns

from a fire at a LF/recycling facility

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Hazards at Waste Fires

Waste Exposures Trips and Falls Equipment Zones Landfill Operations LF Gasses Confined Spaces Collapses Rescues

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How do you Account for Exposures and Hazards

Health and Safety Plan This plan documents how you intend to

reduce or eliminate exposures and hazards

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Facility Awareness

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Injuries - Awareness

LPFD, California - July 2007 Fire captain fell 20 ft into a pit during a fire at

a transfer station He had to be rescued and airlifted to a trauma

center Fire was deep seated and producing smoke

with no visibility Sprinklers in the building were not effective in

penetrating the pile

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Landfill Fire Gas

CH4 CO H2S CN - Cyanide (burning of plastic materials) Density issues

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Contaminates of Concern

Particulates PM-10/PM-2.5Landfill Gasses (CH4)Sulfur Oxides (SOx)Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)Carbon Monoxide (CO)Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN)VOCs (benzene)Semi-VOC’sMetals (Lead, Mercury, Arsenic)PAH’sDioxins and FuransPCB’sVolatile Nitrosamines Pesticides and Herbicides

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Exposures

Acute Hazards Chronic Hazards

What is the difference? What Chemicals are Acute Hazards? Why does this matter?

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FF Death Retired Knoxville firefighter laid to rest 60 year old Captain John Pickens Officials say the lung disease can be

traced back to a huge tire fire Pickens helped battle back in July of 1996

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Waste Fires

#1 Priority Develop a Respiratory Plan

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Respiratory Protection Use a certified industrial hygienist with past

experience You need to account for hazardous gasses:

Carbon Monoxide (CO) if greater than 35 ppm Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) if greater than 10 ppm Lack of Oxygen (O2) if less than 19% Methane (CH4) and Hydrogen if higher than LEL (H2) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) if oxygen displaced. Dioxins at trace concentrations. Other organics (benzene) can be carcinogenic.

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12,800 ppm - Immediate Unconsciousness

(1 %)Danger of Death in 1 to 3 minutes

6400 ppm - Headache and Dizzinessin 1 to 2 minutes.

Unconsciousness and danger of5,000 death in 10 to 15 minutes.

3200 ppm - Headache and Dizzinessin 5 to 10 minutes.

Unconsciousness and danger of2,000 death in 30 minutes.

1600 ppm - Headache, Dizziness andNausea in 20 minutes.

1,000Collapse and possible death in 1 hour.

800 ppm - Headache, Dizziness andNausea in 45 minutes.

500 Collapse and possible death in 2 hours.

400 ppm - Frontal Headache and Nauseain 1 to 2 hours.

200 ppm - Possible mild Frontal Headache100 in 2 to 3 hours.

0

PP

M o

f C

O

Carbon Monoxide

Levels

50 ppm - Permissible Exposure Level(Based on exposure period of 8 hours)

(2 %)

Incomplete Combustion

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2,000

Death1,000

Strong Nervous System Stimulation500

Pulmonary Edema300 (Imminent Life Threat)

ConjunctivitisRespiratory Tract Irritation

Olfactory Paralysis100 (Loss of Sense of Smell)

Serious Eye Injury50

HeadacheNausea

10 Throat and Eye Irritation

Offensive Odor(Rotten Egg Smell)

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Odor Threshold0.05

0

pp

m o

f H

2S

Hydrogen Sulfide Levels

Dry wall/Sheet Rock contains

Gypsum (sulfide mineral)

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PM-2.5

Smoldering Fires

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Air Monitoring

Three Types Employee Exposure Area Perimeter/Community

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Health and Safety PlansFresno Debris Site safety plan

developed by CIWMB and USCG

Audited by California OSHA

Reviewed and signed off by all personnel

SF Landfill Fire –Last Rubble

Small one day fire Extensive Real-time Air

Monitoring

What about a Community Safety Plan

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Sink Holes

16 year old – third degree burns 30%

Fell into 15’ deep hole X-mas eve

Equipment damage $$$

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Video Break

Tow Truck