HAZWOPER: Temperature Extremes

Hazardous waste is a serious problem that continues to endanger humans, animals, and environmental quality. However, as workers clean up hazardous waste sites, they face safety and health hazards. OSHA issued the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Standard to protect workers during cleanup operations and help them handle the wastes safely and effectively.

Temperature extremes pose a real concern to the health, safety, and comfort of workers involved in hazardous waste cleanup sites. Heat stress is a major hazard, especially for those that work outdoors or wear protective clothing. In fact, outside temperatures do not need to be all that high for heat to build up in a protective suit. Cold disorders, while less common, can also threaten those that work outdoors or in cold storage areas. Temperature extremes (hot or cold) are not only unbearable, they can kill.

The HAZWOPER: Temperature Extremes training course is designed to inform cleanup site workers about the dangers of working in extreme temperatures, the signs and symptoms to watch for in temperature-related injury or illness, how to respond to signs and symptoms, and how to protect themselves when working in temperature extremes.

After completing this course, learners will be able to:

• Discuss why hot temperatures pose a hazard to health and safety and factors that contribute to heat stress
• Recognize heat-related disorders, the signs and symptoms of each, and how to respond when signs and symptoms are present
• List ways to prevent heat injury & illness, including the use of engineering controls, administrative controls, safe work practices, and special considerations when using PPE
• Describe what causes cold stress, factors that contribute to cold stress, and ways in which your body loses heat
• Recognize cold-related disorders, the signs and symptoms of each, and how to respond when signs and symptoms are present
• List ways to prevent cold-related injury & illness, including how to prepare and dress for cold weather, the use of engineering controls, administrative controls, and safe work practices