Metal Scrap Recycling and Hazardous Waste Operations

Employers and employees in the metal scrap recycling industry stand to benefit from a new publication produced by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) known as 'Guidance for the Identification and Control of Safety and Health Hazards in Metal Scrap Recycling'. The document offers ways to recognize and manage the hazards associated with exposure to various metals and processing chemicals and with related processes and equipment used in metal scrap recycling operations. OSHA revised its Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response booklet highlighting the requirements for hazardous waste operations and emergency response at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and treatment, storage and disposal facilities. It also discusses the steps an employer must take to protect the health and safety of employees in these environments.

The document will assist employers and employees in recognizing and controlling typical health and safety hazards associated with various metal scrap recycling operations and in selecting appropriate control methods. This document does not provide an in-depth evaluation of every recycled material, or of every associated process-related hazard; rather it gives an overview of processes and related hazards common to a wide range of metal scrap recycling operations.

Employers must evaluate their own operations, processes, and equipment to ensure that all hazards in their operations are identified and appropriately controlled. There are many relevant guidance documents and standards related to exposure to hazardous substances (including metals), working in industrial environments, and working with specific types of material handling and processing equipment that may be associated with recycling processes.

This guidance document includes references to these documents throughout the text, along with short summaries where appropriate.

More info

AplusA-online.de - Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration