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Decontamination Procedures for Oil Spill

Decontamination Procedures for Oil Spill
There are different decontamination procedures required depending on the nature of the incident. The method, size and type of decontamination operation will be determined by the nature of the incident, weather, temperature, type of oil and the number of people to be decontaminated and again the number of trained personnel who are available.

Before entering the site, the response personnel must be briefed on the procedures. The decontaminated zone must be kept organized and clean as possible to ensure the operations go well and keep all personnel safe.

The below steps are some of the basic decontamination procedures and it basically is indicated for most oil spill incidents. The oil spill response incidents may involve high viscous oils and a more sophisticated operation may be required to perform as well as more trained personnel should be available at the site.

The Decontamination Corridor must be established and clearly identified. The best location for establishing a decontamination station would be uphill from the Hot zone. It should also be upwind to let the airborne contaminants blow back to the hot zone. In case the direction of the wind changes, the decon station must be shifted or relocated somewhere suitable.

A close proximity to crucial services like electricity, running water is important and beneficial during decontamination operations. The decon zone should be accessible to emergency medical units.

The Decontamination Corridor must be clearly identified using delineator posts, barrier tape and traffic cone. The traffic cone and delineator posts must be placed at the top of the tarps and plastic sheeting and it should be attached by the barrier tape clearly to mark the decontamination corridor.

The whole Decontamination Corridor must be covered with plastic sheeting or with tarps. To reduce slippery and to absorb oil, absorbent rolls must be used to line the decontamination corridor.

The point of entry must be established and identified clearly from the Hot Zone into the Warm Zone as well as the exit corridor into the Cold Zone.

The uncontaminated equipment and supplies must be passed through the clean side into the Warm Zone. All contaminated supplies and equipment mused be used or removed during the decontamination operations.

If you want to learn about the whole decontamination procedure, join a HAZWOPER training course. The OSHA HAZWOPER training will provide you a detailed information about the decon procedures. The courses are offered both on-site and online these days.

Visit us at: www.hazwoper24hourtraining.com

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