Course Description
A systematic analysis of how hazardous materials escalate an incident or emergency event. Examination of the basic fundamental concepts common to hazardous chemicals with an emphasis on how some key elements, compounds, and mixtures are inherently dangerous.
Course Textbook
Meyer, E. (2014). Chemistry of hazardous materials (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Recognize how to use basic chemistry fundamentals that are essential in the study of hazardous materials, such as the common elements by their atomic symbols on the periodic table; the difference between elements, compounds, and mixtures; how ionic and covalent bonding influence chemical properties; and properties of gases, liquids, and solids.
2. Identify the common units of measurement used in the practice environmental health and safety (EHS) and fire science (FS), such as concentration, temperature, and pressure.
3. Describe the chemistry of some common elements, including oxygen, ozone, hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine, phosphorus, sulfur, and carbon as applicable to their industrial uses and hazards.
4. Apply the principles of chemical interactions to emergency response incidents that occur at home, in the workplace, or in public sites.
5. Identify the hazard classes as outlined by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the basic DOT hazardous material regulations related to the identification, classification, labeling, marking, and transporting of hazardous materials and response to hazardous material incidents.
6. Describe key chemical-specific factors or properties that should be considered when managing or responding to incidents involving corrosive materials (acids and bases), water reactive substances, pyrophoric materials, toxic substances, oxidizers, organic compounds, and polymeric materials.
7. Describe the hazards, regulations, and precautions that should be taken when handling, storing, using, or transporting DOT regulated explosive and radioactive materials.
8. Demonstrate the ability to use resources such as the DOT Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) to determine emergency response actions and/or management techniques to mitigate hazardous material incidents or projects.
9. Demonstrate familiarity with the Global Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemical Substances (GHS) and the NFPA system of identifying potential hazards.
Course Structure
1. Unit Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit.
2. Unit Lessons: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses unit material.
3. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook. Suggested Readings are listed in the unit study guides to aid students in their course of study. The readings themselves may or may not be provided in the course, but students are encouraged to read the resources listed if the opportunity arises as they have valuable information that expands upon the lesson material. Students will not be tested on their knowledge of the Suggested Readings.
4. Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are part of all CSU term courses. More information and specifications can be found in the Student Resources link listed in the Course Menu bar.
5. Unit Assessments: This course contains eight Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of each unit. Assessments are composed of multiple-choice questions, matching questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, and/or written response questions.
6. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units IV, V, and VII. Specific information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with the Unit IV, V, and VII Assignments. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.
7. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions.
8. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates.
Unit Assignments
Article Review
For this assignment, you are required to read the article entitled "HazMat Emergencies: Decontamination and Victim Chain of Survival," by Gunderson, Helikson, and Heffner (2014), and write a review. The article may be found in the Academic Search Complete database in the CSU Online Library. Your review must include the following:
- Summarize the key points presented in the article.
- Describe the key elements of a solid emergency response program.
- Discuss why proper decontamination of victims is important.
- Discuss your opinion or what you can conclude from the article.
Your response must be at least 800 words in length. All sources used, including this article, must be referenced. Paraphrased and/or quoted materials must have accompanying in-text and reference citations in APA format.
Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Research Paper
For this assignment, write about a hazardous materials incident or an environmental health and safety (EHS) project that involves a material(s) with a hazard(s) that falls under the hazard classification that we have studied so far (water/air reactive, corrosive, or toxic). The incident or project could be one that you have researched or been involved with. Your essay must include the following:
- summary of the project or incident,
- identification of the hazardous material(s) involved and hazardous classification,
- discussion of chemical properties and interactions relevant to the incident/project,
- any short or long-term mitigation implemented, and
- conclusion (your professional opinion on the project/incident).
Your response must be at least 400 words in length. You are required to use at least two references, including your textbook for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced. Paraphrased and/or quoted materials must have accompanying citations in APA format
Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Case Study
Read the incident scenario, and write a response that is at least three pages in length. Your response must include answers to the questions being asked. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced. Paraphrased and/or quoted materials must have accompanying in-text and reference citations in APA format.
Scenario:
You are the Refinery Emergency Response Coordinator for an incident at the SJV Refinery which has been in operation since 1966. The refinery processes 120,000 bbls of crude oil per day, which has a sulfur content of 2.5 percent. The refinery converts crude oil to naptha, light oil, and heavy oils using the Atmospheric/Vacuum Distillation Unit with key equipment such as the following:
- naptha, kerosene, gasoline, and diesel hydrotreaters;
- isomerization unit;
- naptha reformer;
- fluid catalytic cracker;
- coker;
- hydrocracker;
- polymerization unit (petrochemical section of the refinery polymerizing olefin gases to produce polyethylene);
- sulfur recovery Claus plant (catalytic reactors); and
- distillate/gasoline blending tanks.
The refinery was initiating work on a major plant turnaround at the time of the incident to complete required maintenance repairs, mechanical integrity inspections, and modifications to existing equipment. Twenty contractor companies (approximately 150 employees) have been contracted to perform this work under the direction of refinery staff. All of the contractor workers completed the refinery orientation training.
Work for the contractor crews is assigned/scheduled each morning. On the day of the incident, the day-shift (6 am to 6 pm) crew had been tasked with isolating the acid gas feed stream for the Claus unit. Due to other work priorities, the crew did not isolate the line as planned. A shift turnover for the night contractor crew did not happen due to mandatory safety training that delayed their arrival at the worksite. Upon their arrival at the work site, the night crew held a job safety analysis (JSA) review of the scheduled task (line breaking of the acid gas feed line to replace a segment) to be performed and the hazards present. No pressure gauges or monitoring was present to indicate that the acid gas feed line was operational. The crew initiated the line breaking activity (open the line to the atmosphere) at approximately 7:45 pm under self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which almost immediately resulted in the uncontrolled release of acid gas. A nearby ignition source from a welding operation ignited the flammable gas. The following actions were initially taken:
- The evacuation alarm was sounded and the refinery emergency response team (ERT) was activated.
- The plant manager and the local fire department were notified of the incident.
- The incident command was established at the refinery office near the main refinery access gate to the south (this is the furthest distance within the refinery boundary from the incident location).
- The refinery ERT incident commander implemented actions required under the approved refinery emergency response plan.
- The ERT was not able to immediately isolate the acid gas feed pipeline.
- The fire department arrived on location and assumed the incident command of the event.
Additional Relevant Information:
- The refinery encompasses an area measuring 2000 feet by 1400 feet. The Claus unit is located in the most northern part of the refinery, approximately 1350 feet from the main refinery access gate to the south. The polymerization unit is operating directly adjacent to the Claus unit.
- The nearest residential community is located approximately 1000 feet to the northeast of the refinery.
- A plastic recycling plant is located along the south fence boundary of the refinery.
- A major interstate highway runs directly parallel to the plant, approximately 1/4 of a mile directly north of the refinery.
- The ambient temperature on the day of the incident was 85° F and the wind was blowing at 7 mph from the southwest to the northeast.
- Work crews were scheduled to work 12-hour shifts, 24-hours a day, to complete the refinery turnaround.
- Due to the age of the refinery, SJV has implemented a robust mechanical integrity program.
- The refinery has a trained ERT that can respond to incidents.
- Fixed water monitors are present throughout the refinery to extinguish refinery equipment fires. The refinery ERT does not fight fires past the incipient stage.
- The refinery has received notices of violation (NOVs) from the local air district in the past several years due to gas and liquid leaks from piping components, such as valves, compressor/pump seals, and for excess sodium dioxide (SO2) emissions related with their sulfur plant.
- Due to historical discharges of organic compounds, groundwater monitoring wells are present down gradient of the facility. Groundwater underlying the plant has historically been encountered at 30 feet below ground surface.
- Hydrogen sulfide is present in the acid gas feed to the Claus plant. The H2S concentration of the acid gas feed is approximately 70 percent by volume. H2S and sulfur dioxide (SO2) have the following physical properties:
|
Physical Property
|
H2S
|
SO2
|
|
Specific Gravity at 68oF (20oC)
|
1.54
|
1.4
|
|
Vapor Density (Air=1)
|
1.18
|
2.22
|
|
Flashpoint
|
-116oF (-82.4oC)
|
Not Applicable
|
|
Autoignition Point
|
500oF (260oC)
|
Not Applicable
|
|
Lower Explosive Limit
|
4.3%
|
Not Applicable
|
|
Upper Explosive Limit
|
46%
|
Not Applicable
|
|
IDLH
|
100 ppm
|
100 ppm
|
Questions:
1. Discuss the hazards posed by the interaction of the hazardous materials present at the refinery and adjacent facilities, including the resulting by-products of the incident fire and acid gas release.
2. As the lead refinery representative on the unified incident command (UIC), what actions should be taken by the UIC to respond to this incident (please consider all receptors).
3. If the polymerization unit is engulfed in the fire, how will this affect your response?
4. All emergency responders participated in the post-incident critique. What corrective actions should be implemented by the refinery to prevent the reoccurrence of this incident?