Chemical Engineering August 2021 - 44

Environmental Manager
Hazardous Materials: What to Do When
Disaster Strikes
Detailed plans for handling hazardous materials should be a central part of any
chemical plant's disaster preparedness plan
Wade Scheel
Clean Earth
O
ver the past year, many
chemical facilities managed
to overcome extreme
circumstances. One
instance of an extreme event was
the winter storm in Texas in February
2021, where unexpected weather
conditions resulted in widespread
power outages and mass water supply
shortages.
Due to power-grid failures, it is
estimated that the storm caused
blackouts for over 5.2 million homes
and businesses, becoming one of
the largest blackout events in modern
American history [1]. This highlighted
the need to be prepared for
all aspects of how energy impacts
a business' operations. A lack of a
primary energy source, as well as a
water supply, could impact a facility's
ability to function safely.
Though many consider disasters
to encompass only " natural " geologic
and meteorological processes
- storms, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes,
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
tsunamis and others - future
pandemics and similar events
should also be considered in preparedness
plans (Figure 1).
For example, at the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA; Washington, D.C.,
www.osha.gov) set safety standards
to ensure that employers were better
prepared and acting on the impacts
of their employees' exposure
to hazardous waste and other health
risks as a result of the virus [2]. Most
facilities were caught off guard by
the virus and did not have personal
protective equipment (PPE), such as
masks and gloves, and adequate
sanitizing products on hand.
Unfortunately, the frequency and
intensity
of
42
extreme events
like
Winter Storm Uri in Texas and the
pandemic seems to be trending upward.
According to a March 2021
report from the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), natural disasters are occurring
three times more often than 50
years ago [3]. Considering the magnitude
of the destruction caused
by disasters,
professionals
in
the
chemical process industries (CPI)
should help their facilities prepare
well in advance for these costly and
potentially catastrophic events.
Any type of unprecedented event
can put chemical plants at tremendous
risk in terms of asset damage,
environmental mishaps related to the
loss of hazardous materials, and risk
to personnel and the community -
all of which can be both costly and
deadly. These risks can be reduced
by proper planning and disaster preparedness.
Simply put - it is vital for
facilities to reassess operations and
worst-case scenario assumptions.
Disasters can create significant
health and safety risks for the individuals
who work within CPI facilities,
often in the form of hazardous
waste
spills and leaks. Potential
environmental risks also include air,
water, ground or soil contamination
due to runoff (Figure 2).
To reduce the risks of injury, environmental
harm or regulatory
penalties, a successful disaster response
requires extensive expertise
and knowledge of hazardous
materials and waste management,
including applicable
and regulations.
procedures
This article discusses some hazardous
wastes that
are common
in CPI facilities. It outlines several
considerations that chemical engineers,
environmental engineers
and environmental, health and
safety (EHS) professionals should
keep in mind when handling waste
streams before, during and after
flooding, high winds and other
extreme weather conditions or
unexpected events.
FIGURE 1. A chemical plant's emergency-response
plan should consider not only natural disasters,
such as major storms or earthquakes, but also unprecedented
events, such as future pandemics
Defining hazardous-waste types
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.;
www.epa.gov) defines
hazardous
waste as " waste with properties that
make it dangerous or capable of having
a harmful effect on human health
or the environment. " It is generated
from many sources, ranging from
industrial manufacturing process
wastes to batteries and may come
in many forms, including liquids, solids,
gases and sludges, [4]. To learn
more about hazardous waste regulations,
please read Practicing YearRound
Waste Compliance, Chem.
Eng., Jan. 2021, pp. 42-44 [5].
The EPA regulates hazardous
waste under the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA),
which was enacted in 1976 to ensure
that these wastes are managed
in a safe and compliant manner
[6]. The growing amount of waste
generated has made it increasingly
important
for waste-management
personnel to develop strategies to
manage it safely. RCRA established
a framework for the proper management
of hazardous wastes, and from
this authority, EPA has established a
comprehensive regulatory program
to ensure that hazardous waste
is managed safely from " cradle to
grave " - a mindset that encompasses
the management of waste
from the time it is created, through
transportation, treatment and storCHEMICAL
ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
AUGUST 2021
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Chemical Engineering August 2021

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