Wash. Admin. Code § 296-305-03002 - Hazardous materials

(1) Fire department personnel involved in hazardous materials incidents must be protected against potential chemical hazards. Chemical protective clothing must be selected according to the technical data package provided by the clothing manufacturer and used to protect the skin, eyes, face, hands, feet, head and body.

(2) Fire departments must select, provide, and require the use of additional personal protective equipment as required in chapter 296-842 WAC, Respiratory protection.

(3) Protective ensembles for hazardous materials and CBRN operations must meet the design and performance criteria outlined in the 2022 edition of NFPA 1990.

(4) Vapor protective ensembles, liquid splash-protective ensembles, and CBRN protective ensembles must completely cover both the wearer and the wearer's respiratory protection unless the respiratory protection has been specifically designed by the manufacturer for that type of chemical exposure, or meet the Statement of Standard for NIOSH CBRN SCBA Testing.

(5) Vapor protective suits and liquid splash-protective suits must not be used alone for any firefighting applications or for protection from radiological, biological, or cryogenic agents or in flammable or explosive atmospheres.

(6) Liquid splash-protective suits must not be used when operations are likely to result in significant exposure to chemicals or specific chemical mixtures with known or suspected carcinogenicity as indicated by any one of the following documents if it can be reasonably expected that the firefighters in vapor-protective suits would be significantly better protected:

(a) Dangerous Properties of Industrial Chemicals, 10th edition-2000, N. Irving Sax.

(b) NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, 2006 edition.

(c) U. S. Coast Guard Chemical Hazard Response Information System (CHRIS), Volume 13, Hazardous Chemical Data.

(7) Liquid splash-protective suits must not be used when operations are likely to result in significant exposure to chemicals or specific chemical mixtures with skin toxicity notations as indicated by the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Agents and Biological Exposure Indices for 2004 or 2007 if it can be reasonably expected that firefighters in vapor-protective suits would be significantly better protected.

(8) Firefighters assigned to functional support operations outside the hot zone during hazardous chemical emergencies must be provided with and must use personal protective garments appropriate for the type of potential chemical hazard exposure.

(9) Fire departments responding to uncontrolled release of hazardous materials must comply with chapter 296-824 WAC, Emergency response.

Notes

Wash. Admin. Code § 296-305-03002

Amended by WSR 18-22-116, Filed 11/6/2018, effective 12/7/2018 Amended by WSR 24-09-061, Filed 4/16/2024, effective 5/17/2024

Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910.156, Fire brigades. 13-05-070, § 296-305-03002, filed 2/19/13, effective 1/1/14.