A Ticking Time Bomb

The effects of hazmat exposure can arise much later

During your towing career there is a high likelihood that you have been or will be exposed to hazardous materials in some form. It can be as simple as a diesel fuel spill or as threatening as an incident involving poisonous gas. It also is entirely possible that you might be completely unaware of prior or future hazardous material exposure.

While handling casualties with hazmat loads are usually the responsibility of the fire department or other hazmat specialty teams, towers encounter them often enough that basic hazmat knowledge — and much better, hazmat training — is very important.

Bob Jaffin, a program manager for Military Studies and Public Safety degree programs at American Military University, addressed this issue in an online article, “Making HazMat a Part of the Workplace Culture,” on the website www.InHomelandSecurity.com. Jaffin urged local governments to increase training for front-line responders, such as first responders, uniformed patrol personnel, and transportation workers. (Read the article at www.inhomelandsecurity.com/2007/08/making_hazmat_a_part_of_the_wo.html)

Jaffin wrote, “Here's a question for local governments: do you have any hazmat transportation standards for tow truck operators allowed on public roads? Typically tow truck operators are first on the scene and can assist and assess danger, given proper training. Not everyone needs to become an expert, but people need to know enough to know that they do not know enough.”

Long-Term Risk

          Without the training Jaffin mentioned or without the guidance of a trained responder, towers should not attempt to mitigate or even approach a suspected hazmat scene. Towers need to know at least enough to keep themselves — and the public — at a safe distance until the scene has been declared safe by trained professionals. At the very least, ignorance of hazmat can ruin your day; at worst, it could end your days!  

There can be insidious long-term effects of hazmat exposure. In recent years, there have been reports of debilitating and even deadly after-effects of hazmat experienced by people who worked the World Trade Center disaster as a result of exposure to unknown chemicals and combinations of chemicals present in the air near the disaster site. Those who work accident scenes where chemicals have been released, such as when a vehicle has burned, face the same sort of risks.

There are frequent news stories of the long-term effects of exposure to such things as asbestos, benzene, mercury, etiologic agents (virus, bacteria), and a host of chemical agents too long to list. In many instances, the longer-term effects of certain chemicals and chemical compounds are either not understood fully or not known.

It is possible for certain chemicals or substances, safely benign in their normal states, to produce cancer- and disease-causing fumes when heated or exposed to fire. The most troubling part of these types of exposures is that the diseases may not show themselves for years or even decades later.

Worried Yet?

For your workers’ health, your family’s health, and for the sake of your own health, you should be concerned. The trucking industry, of course, is a big player in the transport of hazmat. Hundreds of thousands of truckloads a day travel the nation’s highways. In his article, Jaffin wrote, “The chances of hazmat transportation disasters from ordinary commerce is orders of magnitude greater than from any terrorist-induced incidents.”

Increasing world trade has also expanded the use of container shipping, or intermodal, transport. From a load of Brazilian produce to a weed killer from India, every imaginable commodity is likely to be found inside a container.

Intermodal shipping is not just around seaports either. Intermodal is exactly what it suggests: a multitude of different modes of transportation. Rail, ship, aircraft, and trucks all handle intermodal containers. Their adaptability is the reason they are so widely used.

Jaffin offered what he called some “disquieting facts:” “Domestically and internationally, less than two percent of containerized freight at the seaports is inspected, and the error rate on hazmat shipments hovers around 40 percent of those two percent inspected.”

Companies like DuPont, Monsanto, Dow Corning, Archer Daniels Midland, and thousands of others are not limited to the borders of the US. They import and export to points all over the globe. China, India, Japan, and other countries also produce and export chemicals as well as import them. For example, a chemical produced in South America may be shipped to a distribution point in the U.S. and then transported overland for eventual shipment to users in Asia, Europe, and Australia – all in intermodal shipping containers.

Domestic Dangers

Containers are not the only mode for transport of hazmat loads. Carriers such as FedEx, UPS, Roadway, JB Hunt, Wal-Mart, and supermarket-chain trucks all may ship hazmat. Chemicals can be found everywhere on our highways, including in smaller carriers like delivery and work trucks for farm supply stores, hardware stores, pool supply companies, contractors, cleaning companies, drugstore chains, and even in truckloads of imported produce. 

There is no guarantee of a “safe” load. According to Jaffin, “State-operated weigh stations do not have personnel on duty trained in, or necessarily allowed to, enforce hazmat regulations. Most uniformed law enforcement personnel are not equipped to know when or how to approach a hazmat shipment or how to protect themselves and the public from exacerbating such an incident.”

Some states have civilians operating weigh stations while others have government personnel operating them. However, while each state staffs weigh stations differently, all states must maintain a Commercial Vehicle enforcement unit. “In most states a special unit is charged with this enforcement responsibility,” said Jaffin. This is required by the feds in order for states to get Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) funds.

For example, Maine has about 30 to 50 fully trained personnel; Michigan has more than 250 fully trained people. However, all law enforcement personnel assigned to enforcing FMCSA rules are required to not only be trained and certified through an intensive hazmat course but also maintain a federal certification yearly.

The average police officer or state trooper does not have this training and/or knowledge. As with any specialty, it is necessary to maintain proficiency by regular training in this highly specialized skill set. Because of the dangers noted, all weigh stations should be staffed by trained personnel, whether it be in weight laws, drug interdiction, mechanical and driver inspection, and hazardous materials.

Warning Signs

          As a tower, you should have at the very least a base level of hazmat knowledge in order to identify and avoid the potential hazards associated with accidents involving hazmat.

As listed in CFR 49, part 172.504(e), HM table 2, transporters need not display placards until the combined gross weight of all hazmat on board exceeds 1000 pounds. ORM-D, which stands for “Other Regulated Materials – Consumer Commodity,” is a hazard class on the hazmat table that does not need to be placarded in any amount since these retail items (such as butane lighters) are considered a limited hazard during transportation due to their form, quantity, and packaging.

Another category, Class 6.2, includes infectious substances such as clinical specimens, used medical products, and used health-care products and do not require the use of placards. A trailer-load of ORM-D or Class 6.2 items could potentially put a tower at risk if he or she was unaware of the truck’s contents.

           Produce loads may not seem to be a potential danger, but don’t rule it out. Produce imported from outside the borders of the U.S. must be fumigated before it is delivered. The fumigation process involves filling the trailer with a poisonous gas to kill any unwanted stowaways like snakes, insects, and rodents. This process takes 24 hours and the truck is not supposed to move.

The load is labeled with a fumigation warning decal that lists the day and time of the fumigation and the chemical agent used in the process. However, given the industry demands of timely deliveries of perishable loads, it is not beyond the realm of possibility for a driver to remove the sticker and drive before the allotted time is up. Should you be called to an accident involving a produce truck, think twice before opening the rear door to unload produce before uprighting it. It could be your last breath.

Stand Back

If you take nothing else from the information in this article, please take this and don’t forget it: No placards does not mean no hazmat! Be wise to your surroundings, which includes the other people on-scene. If you arrive at an incident site and someone working there claims to be a hazmat expert, it is likely to be in your best interest to get into your wrecker, park upwind a safe distance away, and watch with binoculars.

Those who deal with hazmat on a daily basis and even those who instruct hazmat courses cannot claim the title of “expert” on hazardous materials — there are too many of them! Unless a person has a PhD in chemistry or chemical engineering, it is unlikely that they are truly an expert on most hazardous products.         

As a general rule, it is best to respect the proper handling and safety procedures recommended by the company that produces the hazmat in question or the distributor who handles the material regularly. If necessary, contact them for information as to how best to safely proceed with the recovery of their materials.

Seeing victims on the ground around a wreck with unknown materials is a particularly tragic but important red flag for a tower to stay away. If a victim has been overcome by poisonous fumes, attempting to assist may make you a victim as well. 

          The best way to avert a hazmat disaster for you, your employees, and the public at a scene is to prepare your employees in advance. Hazmat knowledge, training, and practice will heighten awareness and competence. Your on-scene towers will be safer, more helpful as needed, and less likely to act on impulse and rush into danger.

Protocol Power

          Every crash site, particularly those where the contents are unknown or unfamiliar, must be thought of initially as hazmat until it can be verified to be safe and hazmat-free. Caution is the word of the day; it is prudent to have procedures in place for all incidents that could possibly involve any amount of hazardous materials.

          Always mindful of the fact that the absence of placards does not necessarily mean no hazmat, put these procedures in the form of a checklist similar to a pilot’s pre-flight systems check. When in doubt, never proceed until trained, knowledgeable, and professional hazmat personnel give you a green light to begin your recovery.

Watch for any packages or containers that have been compromised and stay clear until you are certain the area is safe. Keep in mind that some chemicals are so toxic that simply being near them can be dangerous.

If you walk through a spill of wet or dry chemicals, they can come home with you to contaminate your loved ones. Even if the chemical does not adversely affect you, it may make young children very sick, or worse — yet another reason not to be a risk-taker.

Reg Wrangles

There are thousands of federal regulations that affect the transportation of hazardous materials. They are in CFR 49, parts 100-185 and part 397. These regs are incredibly complicated and of virtually no benefit to you without weeks of training, years of experience, and daily application. However, there is something you can do that will help to keep you, your family, your employees, and the public safe at hazmat scenes: At every opportunity, get any and all training available!

Start by asking for training information and action from your local fire department, your towing association, your state or provincial enforcement agency, or your state trucking association. Check with mills and manufacturing plants in your area that use chemicals. They often sponsor training specific to the handling of the chemicals they use.

Most area emergency management agencies will also be glad to assist you in acquiring hazmat training. Be smart: Train, then work smarter.    

What’s In The Cab?

       Sometimes, the most dangerous hazmat in a commercial vehicle may not be in the trailer — it may be inside the cab!

Truck cabs as well as automobiles may contain contaminated knives, hypodermic needles, bottles of urine, drugs, methamphetamine labs, razor blades, and a host of infectious substances ranging from blood-borne pathogens to excrement and bodily fluids. Diseases such as hepatitis or HIV may be contracted by simply being stuck by a needle or sharp object.

After an accident, the inside of the cab can be a cluttered mess and the perfect setting for a mishap. It can be very difficult to distinguish objects and there may be blood contamination from injuries. For your own protection, approach such a cab wearing protective clothing, and be vigilant and cautious.

          Do not use bare hands when sorting through debris. Use a stick, screwdriver, or other such object to move items. Wear disposable gloves when handling paperwork and objects from a cab and be certain to dispose of the gloves afterward. If paramedics are on scene, ask them to dispose of the gloves for you.

          Keep disinfectant and antibacterial soap in your tow truck and thoroughly clean your hands and any tools used in the wreck’s cab. In case of an accidental sticking, seek medical help immediately.