ABSTRACT
One of the most difficult areas of the safety profession to manage is one concerning hazardous materials. This chapter discusses the hazards associated with chemicals, impacts of hazardous materials, fundamentals of hazardous materials management, hazardous materials disposal, hazardous materials response procedures, and substances with special standards. A hazardous material is any solid, liquid, or gas that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. In order to understand hazardous materials and hazardous wastes, and subsequently their management, the safety professional must have a basic understanding of chemicals and chemistry. The atomic mass or weight of an atom includes protons, neutrons, and electrons. Physical hazards associated with materials/waste include engulfment, over-pressurization, slips, trips and falls, crushing hazards, fire and explosion hazards, corrosion hazards, thermal decomposition, and water reactivity hazards. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, enacted in 1976, is the principal Federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.
