Washington Administrative Code
Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of
Chapter 296-843 - Hazardous waste operations
Section 296-843-18005 - Handle drums and containers safely

(1) You must assess hazards to employees, such as radioactive waste, before handling drums and containers.

(2) You must consider unlabeled drums and containers to contain hazardous substances and handle them accordingly, until the contents are positively identified, labeled, and assessed for hazards.

(3) You must inspect and make sure drums and containers are sound before moving them.

If it is not practical to inspect drums without moving them, move drums and containers to an accessible location and inspect prior to further handling.

(4) You must remove soil or other materials covering drums or containers with caution to prevent rupture.

(5) You must use ground-penetrating systems or other types of detection systems or devices to estimate the location and depth of buried drums or containers.

(6) You must use the sampling plan and procedures included in the site-specific HASP to sample the contents of containers and drums.

Moving drums and containers:

(7) You must warn all employees exposed to drum movement operations about the potential hazards associated with the contents of the drums or containers prior to moving them.

(8) You must minimize movement of drums or containers.

(9) You must select, position, and operate tools and material handling equipment to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors.

(10) You must handle tanks and vaults containing hazardous substances with the same precautions as for drums and containers, taking into account the size of tank or vault.

Handling spills and leaks:

(11) You must contain and isolate the entire volume of a hazardous substance in a drum or container when a spill occurs.

(12) You must have available and use both of the following in areas where spills, leaks, or ruptures may occur:

(13) You must empty drums and containers, that cannot be moved without rupturing, leaking, or spilling, into a sound container.

Use a pump or other device classified for the material being transferred.

(14) You must have fire-extinguishing equipment on-hand to control fires in their initial stage.