• Opening drums safely requires appropriate PPE/CPC; atmosphere-monitoring equipment; and precautions against chemical, fire, and physical hazards.

Whether drums are opened in place or moved to a staging area for opening, the procedures remain the same. Employers must have specific procedures for drum opening. Employees need to become familiar with these procedures prior to opening any drums.

Because several types of atmospheres might develop during drum opening, respiratory protection is required. Anyone opening a drum must wear an atmosphere-supplying respirator (ASR), either:

• A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), or
• A supplied-air respirator (SAR).

Anyone using an SAR should make sure the air supply is in a clean area, protect the hose from damage, and carry an escape SCBA.

To monitor conditions during drum-opening activities, the sensors of direct-reading instruments should be placed as close to the source as possible. Monitoring for different types of atmospheres can be done using:

• Colorimetric tubes
• Dosimeters
• Radiation survey instruments
• Explosion meters
• Organic vapor analyzers
• Oxygen meters

During the opening process, employees should stand back as far as possible. If it’s necessary to be closer, explosion-resistant plastic shields should be placed between any persons and the drum. The controls for drum-opening equipment, monitoring instruments, and fire-suppression equipment should be located on the person side of the shield.

Using remote-controlled equipment adds another layer of protection. The following devices can be used for opening drums:

• A pneumatically operated impact wrench to remove drum bungs,
• Hydraulically or pneumatically operated drum piercers, and
• Backhoes equipped with bronze spikes for piercing drum tops.

Other precautions to take when opening drums include:

• Only using non-spark tools and equipment when flammable or explosive atmospheres are present.
• Never standing on drums or working from them.
• Never using picks, chisels, firearms, or other means to open a drum in a manner that may rupture the container or cause it to leak.
• Hanging tools to minimize employee exertion.
• Performing all steps slowly and relieve excess pressure on bulging or swelling drums.
• Opening exotic PVC-lined drums by the bung, using extreme caution.
• Not opening or sampling individual containers in lab packs.
• Resealing open bungs as quickly as possible, and, if bungs cannot be resealed, placing the drum in an overpack.
• Decontaminating drum-opening equipment after opening each drum to avoid mixing incompatible wastes.