Decontamination Facility Design

Before decontamination begins, it is important to have a Decontamination Facility Design that will allow for the safest decontamination of all known and suspected hazardous chemicals and wastes. It will utilize the Contamination Reduction Zone (CRZ), Exclusion Zone (the contaminated area), and the Support Zone (the clean area), which you learned about in Unit 4 ("Characterizing Sites") and recently reviewed in this summary.

In general, Decontamination Facility Design and its procedures are shaped by the following:

• Waste properties in regard to chemical, physical, and toxicological properties
• Pathogenicity of infectious waste
• Amount of contaminants
• Location of contaminants
• Methods for containment of contaminants
• Potential for, and location of, exposure potential for wastes to permeate, degrade, or penetrate materials
• Proximity of any incompatible wastes
• Movement of personnel and/or equipment among different zones
• Potentiality for emergencies
• Available methods for protecting workers during decontamination
• Impact of the decontamination process and compounds on both worker safety and health

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