Scene Safety
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Scene Safety |
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| Site Security
and Control
The incident management system (IMS) maintains site security and control, preventing community members or other bystanders form entering the contaminated area and becoming unnecessarily exposed or injured. Site control involves assuring that no one enters an area without reason and that proper equipment and training are provided. The emergency area must be cleared of employees not involved in the response and all entry points must be controlled. Work zones are used to control the site. Work Zones The emergency area will be divided into as many different zones as needed to reduce accidental spread of contaminants, reduce the number of personnel authorized in the high-risk areas, delineate required levels of personal protection to be worn and implement emergency evacuation routes. Most incident scenes will have at least three zones: hot zone--contaminated area, warm zone--the area where decontamination of personnel and equipment takes place, and the cold zone--the uncontaminated area where workers should not be exposed to hazardous conditions. The hot zone, also referred to as the exclusion zone, is the area where contamination may occur. The primary activities performed in this area are hazard assessment, control of the release or hazard and rescue. The outer boundary of the hot zone is called the hot line. It should be clearly marked by lines, hazard tape or other barriers. Personnel working in the hot zone wear high-level personal protective equipment required for that site. Hot zone personnel may include the team leader, chemical specialists and hazard technician responders. The warm zone is the area where the Contamination Reduction Corridor (CRC) is located. The CRC has two lines, one for decontaminating personnel, the other for decontaminating equipment. The containment control line is the boundary between the warm zone and cold zone. The cold zone site is chosen for accessibility for emergency vehicles, visibility (line of sight to the hot and warm zones) and availability of resources like power lines, water and shelter. The cold zone personnel include that site safety officer, emergency response personnel and the decontamination officer. The incident commander and the public information officer will be in the cold zone. |