TITLE:

ES&H Manual

 

DOCUMENT ID:

3510 Appendix T3

Specific Emergency Response Procedures

 

 

1.0            Introduction

 

Combating emergencies such as chemical spills, fires, serious injuries, and high radiation requires people with special qualifications and equipment.  Some Jefferson Lab employees are trained and qualified to combat one or more of these emergencies.  Additionally Jefferson Lab will usually request help from expert outside responders, both public and private.

 

Rapid notification of the responders needed to combat a particular emergency is a critical first action to be made by those who first realize that an emergency exists.

 

Updated information on these potential emergencies and response actions may be found at the following locations:

 

Biological Hazards (blood borne pathogens)

 

Utility Interruption (planned and unplanned)

 

Vital Records

 

Site and Cyber Security

 

Other types of emergencies

 

Rapid paging for emergencies

 

 

2.0            Notification of Responders

 

One of the first steps to take when faced with an emergency is to decide if you need help.  If you have any doubts about your ability to handle the situation, call for help.

 

Calling 9-911 gets you in touch with the police, the fire department, emergency services (medical/ambulance), HazMat (hazardous material) squad, or the bomb squad.  The Newport News 911 Center will select the proper response based on your description of the problem.

 

Calling 4444 contacts the guard at the accelerator area entrance gate house.  The 4444 number is for internal use only.  Telephone number 269-4444 does not belong to Jefferson Lab.

 

During normal business hours, the guard uses rapid-paging equipment to send an alphanumeric page to about forty staff members, most of whom will respond to selected emergencies.  Among the responders are the ESH&Q Reporting Manager, the Security Officer, the nurse on duty, the Radiation Control Group Manager, the Industrial Hygienist, the Chemical Assistance Team Leader, and the Emergency Manager.

 

Typically between five and fifteen of the forty are obligated to respond to a specific emergency, e.g. chemical spill, at the Test Lab.

 

In addition to paging the responders, the guard sends the message again, but to about ten other staff members including the Public Affairs Officer who want to be notified about all emergencies.  The guard is also the primary means of sending messages to Jefferson Lab’s Chemical Assistance Team.

 

The Radiation Control Group has a separate rapid-paging system which allows additional information and specific instructions to be sent to group members.

 

During emergencies at times other than normal business hours, the guard follows instructions in the Emergency/Incident Call Roster.  This includes placing telephone calls to the residences of selected senior staff, who will provide additional instructions to the guard and to designated staff for specific situations, e.g., weather emergencies or equipment failures.

 

3.0            Chemical Spill/Hazardous Material Release

 

The Newport News Fire Department sponsors the HazMat Team for the Peninsula.  This team is tasked to protect citizens, the environment, and public property such as the air, groundwater, and state and local property, from environmental harm due to incidents involving hazardous materials.  This team will stabilize a chemical spill that poses a threat to the public or the environment, but the team does not provide cleanup services.  Call 9-911 to obtain HazMat Team services.  The dispatcher will probably ask you to identify the chemical(s) and quantities involved.  Answer to the best of your ability.

 

Jefferson Lab has a Chemical Assistance Team.  The team is composed of volunteers with OSHA Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training.  The Chemical Assistance Team Charter is found in the ES&H Manual Chapter 3520 Chemical Assistance Team.  The team is equipped with the personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleanup materials necessary to control reasonably anticipated spills of commonly used hazardous materials.  This team can implement defensive actions at the scene of a hazardous material spill to minimize further injury or property and environmental damage.  Call Guard Post #2 at 5822 to obtain Chemical Assistance Team services.

 

The Jefferson Lab Business Services Department, at the request of the Facilities Management Director or designated line manager, and with the advice of the Chemical Assistance Team, will obtain the services of an experienced commercial clean-up contractor

 

4.0            Procedure

 

In the event of a release or spill of hazardous materials:

1.      Stop the release if this can be done without endangering yourself or others.

2.      Warn others of the hazard.

3.      Evacuate the area.  Be aware of wind direction and stay upwind.

4.      Position barricades and guards as appropriate to prevent others from entering the area.

5.      Call ext. 4444 and report the location of the release and name of the chemical(s), and

6.      Request the assistance of the Chemical Assistance Team.

7.      Provide responders with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), if possible.  MSDSs are available at specific locations in each building.  The ARC library and the Safety Lab (Bldg. 35) have complete sets.  MSDSs are also available at http://jlab.online-msds.com/cgi-bin/msdsweb.exe/AnonymousSearch?siteid=JeffersonLabs

 

5.0            Fire

 

5.1              Fire Protection Program

Jefferson Lab’s Fire Protection Program is described in ES&H Manual Chapter 6900 Fire Protection Program.  It describes the policies and procedures with regard to building design, fire protection systems, and responsibilities for operation and maintenance of fire protection systems.   ES&H Manual Chapter 6900 Fire Protection Program also describes the role of the Jefferson Lab Fire Protection Engineer (FPE) who is the technical expert for Jefferson Lab’s fire-protection systems and their components.  The FPE is the initial point of contact for all facility fire-safety issues and acts as inter-divisional liaison.

 

Other ES&H Manual chapters which pertain to fire protection and response include:

·         Chapter 3110 Facility Design and Modification Review

·         Chapter 3110 Facility Design and Modification Review

 

When a fire alarm sounds, everyone is to evacuate and report to the pre-designated assembly area.  No one at Jefferson Lab is required to fight a fire; however, any employee may receive formal training on the use of fire extinguishers.  This training must be updated annually to remain current.  Employees with current fire extinguisher training may use a fire extinguisher to extinguish a very small fire, provided that this action is voluntary and is at no unreasonable risk to oneself.

 

The Newport News Fire Department provides fire-fighting services to Jefferson Lab.  Three stations are nearby – 6, 8, and 10.  Station 6 is on Oyster Point Road, about one mile from the Lab, and has a key for our Canon Blvd. gate.  Station 8 is on J. Clyde Morris Blvd., east of Riverside Hospital, and about two miles from Jefferson Lab. Station 10 is on Warwick Blvd., just north of the intersection with J. Clyde Morris Blvd., about four miles from the Lab. Call 9-911 to obtain the services of the Newport News Fire Department.

 

For additional information about the fire department, see the Emergency Management homepage: http://www.jlab.org/intralab/emergency/.

 

To minimize unnecessary 9-911 calls, our general policy is to confirm either smoke or flame upon receipt of a fire alarm AND before calling 9-911.  However, an Associate Director may designate specific areas under his or her control which require immediate 9-911 calls upon receipt of a fire alarm.  This policy should be based on the risk of fire, the state of the fire alarm system when an alarm is indicated, and the value of the area in question.  The Associate Director may amend the general 9-911 notification policy for a specific period of time or permanently.  It is the responsibility of the Associate Director establishing such a policy to inform everyone who might be in a position to make such a 9-911 call.  Notifying the Jefferson Lab Security Officer will ensure that the security guard at the gate house will observe this policy upon receipt of a fire alarm in a designated area.  This policy, calling 9-911 upon receipt of a fire alarm without confirming smoke or flame, is in effect for the three experimental halls.

 

6.0            Medical Response

 

Jefferson Lab staff has a limited capability to respond to serious illnesses and injuries.  A staff physician is on site an average of twenty hours per week.  A staff nurse is on site during normal business hours.  The primary task of the physician and nurse is to conduct physical examinations.  They will respond to a medical emergency whenever possible.

·         Some Jefferson Lab staff are trained in First Aid or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).  Administration of CPR/First Aid is on a voluntary basis.

·         Jefferson Lab staff may include graduates of Emergency Medical Technician training, a six-week school.  This qualification is obtained privately.  Similarly, a staff member may have a medical qualification e.g., a medical corpsman, RN, or LPN.  Usually, the names of these people are known to Environmental, Safety, Health, and Quality (ESH&Q) staff.

 

Administering first aid or medical treatment by someone so trained is strictly voluntary, except for Occupational Medicine

 

·         The Newport News Fire Department maintains a fleet of medical emergency vehicles and Emergency Medical Teams who will respond to a 9-911 emergency call and transport “patients” to a hospital.

·         See ES&H Manual Chapter 6810 Medical Emergencies and ES&H Manual Chapter 6830 Medical Management of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for detailed information about responding to medical emergencies and follow-up care.

·         A medical evacuation helicopter (Nightingale) is stationed at Norfolk Sentara Hospital, which is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Hampton Roads.  Flight time to Jefferson Lab is about ten minutes.  Normally, emergency medical staff request air evacuation after evaluating the patient’s condition: however, the 911 operator may put the helicopter on standby for up to twenty minutes based on an incoming report.  This service is used for the most serious injuries and illnesses, such as severe burns and head trauma.  The helicopter normally carries only one patient, but in some cases can carry two.  See ES&H Manual Chapter 3510 Appendix T6 Miscellaneous Emergency Procedures for information about providing landing and take-off support for helicopters.

 

Occupational Medicine staff will inform supervisors and others with a need to know about staff medical emergencies, in accordance with the Privacy Act Guidelines.

 

7.0            Radiation Response

 

It is possible that there could be a radiation-related emergency at Jefferson Lab. A full discussion of possible emergencies appears in the ES&H Manual RadCon Supplement.  Jefferson Lab has a Radiation Control Group that consists of experts and specialists in radiological controls who are trained to respond to and take charge of any radiation emergency at Jefferson Lab.  In addition, Jefferson Lab has a cadre of radiation trained scientists, engineers, and technicians, called Assigned Radiation Monitors (ARMs), who can assist the Radiation Control Group.

Any employee who suspects a radiation emergency must notify the following people immediately:

The crew chief at Machine Control Center (MCC): ext. 7047 or cellular phone 9-879-3367

The Security Guard at the Gate House: 4444

The Radiation Control Group on-duty officer at 9-876-1743.

Both the on-duty crew chief and the security guard have the means to contact a member of the Radiation Control Group at any time.

 

 

 

ISSUING AUTHORITY

APPENDIX AUTHOR

APPROVAL DATE

EFFECTIVE DATE

EXPIRATION DATE

REV.

 

 

 

ESH&Q Division

John Kelly

11/16/01

11/16/01

11/16/04

0

 

This document is controlled as an on line file.  It may be printed but the print copy is not a controlled document.  It is the user’s responsibility to ensure that the document is the same revision as the current on line file.  This copy was printed on 10/27/2009.