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670 8-hour HAZWOPER Refresher for Cleanup Operations
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670 8-hour HAZWOPER Refresher for Cleanup Operations

Emergency Decontamination

In addition to routine decontamination procedures, emergency decontamination procedures must be established.

Firefighters in proctective suits, helmets, and respirators attend to a victim laying on the ground.
Decontamination should be delayed until the victim is stabilized.

In an emergency, the primary concern is to prevent the loss of life or severe injury to site personnel.

  • If immediate medical treatment is required to save a life, decontamination should be delayed until the victim is stabilized.
  • If decontamination can be performed without interfering with essential life-saving techniques or first aid, or if a worker has been contaminated with an extremely toxic or corrosive material that could cause severe injury or loss of life, decontamination must be performed immediately.
  • If an emergency due to a heat-related illness develops, protective clothing should be removed from the victim as soon as possible to reduce the heat stress.

During an emergency, provisions must also be made for protecting medical personnel and disposing of contaminated clothing and equipment.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

12-12. When should decontamination take place when immediate medical treatment is required to save a life?

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