Disposal Methods
All equipment used for decontamination must be decontaminated and/or disposed of properly.
Buckets, brushes, clothing, tools, and other contaminated equipment should be collected, placed in containers, and labeled. Also, all spent solutions and wash water should be collected and disposed of properly. Clothing that is not completely decontaminated should be placed in plastic bags, pending further decontamination and/or disposal.
Personal Protection for Decontamination Workers
Decontamination workers who initially contact personnel and equipment leaving the Exclusion Zone will require more protection from contaminants than decontamination workers who are assigned to the last station in the decontamination line.
- Decontamination workers may need to wear the same levels of PPE as workers in the Exclusion Zone.
- In other cases, decontamination workers may be sufficiently protected by wearing one level lower protection (e.g., wearing Level C protection while decontaminating workers who are wearing Level B).
The level of protection required will vary with the type of decontamination equipment used. For example, workers using a steam jet may need a different type of respiratory protection than other decontamination personnel because of the high moisture levels produced by steam jets.
- In some situations, the cleaning solutions used and wastes removed during decontamination may generate harmful vapors.
- Appropriate equipment and clothing for protecting decontamination personnel should be selected by a qualified health and safety expert.
- Decontamination workers are in a contaminated area and must themselves be decontaminated before entering the clean Support Zone. The extent of their decontamination should be determined by the types of contaminants they may have contacted and the type of work they performed.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
4-6. Sarah is the initial decontamination worker personnel interact with when leaving the Exclusion Zone. Why might she require more protection from contaminants than workers further down the decontamination line?
You forgot to answer the question!