Arrangements for Emergency Preparedness

Whenever personnel are handling hazardous waste, they must have access to an internal alarm or emergency communication device. If an employee is working alone, he or she has to be able to summon local-area emergency assistance immediately.

The owner or operator of a facility is required to make arrangements with local emergency response organizations, including police departments, fire departments, and emergency response teams. These arrangements must include the following:

• Arrangements to familiarize police, fire, and rescue teams with the layout of the facility, the properties of the waste being handled and associated hazards, normal work areas, entrances and roads into the facility, and possible evacuation routes
• If multiple response teams might respond, agreements establishing the primary response team and others that can provide support to the primary response team
• Agreements with state emergency response teams, emergency response contractors, and equipment suppliers
• Arrangements to familiarize local hospitals with the properties of hazardous waste handled at the facility, and the types of illnesses or injuries that could result from an emergency

To learn more about RCRA safety standards visit our RCRA Refresher Online Training web page.