ABSTRACT
The decontamination of equipment is a critical element of both personal and environmental protection. Personal hygiene, or cleanliness, is very important in working around potentially exposed equipment and personnel. Abrasive hand soap can be used to remove grease, oil, or dirt from the hands. Battery charging and maintenance will probably be performed in the maintenance shop at a hazardous waste site, but if waste site worker do not have that capability at an incident site, they may not be able to get the equipment moving out of the contaminated area. The maintenance and cleaning of contaminated equipment coming out of the Incident Zone depends upon the type and amount of contaminant. The amount of airborne dust and chemicals that enter the engine will determine the amount of chemically detectable contamination. Oil, which has many additives, may break down after short exposures to contaminants.
