What is decontamination?

Decontamination is a process that involves removing contaminants from the workplace, including equipment or personnel. Decontamination is essential because it keeps you safe from hazardous substances that may cause severe damage to your health.

What’s a decontamination plan?

A decontamination plan is a written document that explains how hazardous substances are removed from your workplace. In the plan, your employer must explain:

• The number of decontamination stations in your workplace.
• The decontamination equipment you’ll need to use.
• How you should decontaminate yourself and your workplace.
• Methods and procedures that will minimize your exposure to contaminants when you remove PPE off of your body.
• Processes and procedures for disposing of contaminated clothing and equipment.

If you’re not responsible for decontaminating the workplace, but you do handle hazardous waste, chemicals, or materials, you need to know how best to prevent accidents or incidents from happening in the first place.

What’s the best way to prevent exposure in the workplace?

There’s the old saying, “everyone is responsible for safety.” Whether you clean up a spill or handle hazardous waste, chemicals, or materials every day, you need to do your part to prevent chemical exposure in your workplace. The best way you can do that is to:

• Store all materials correctly,
• Separate incompatible chemicals and materials,
• Wash up after you handle chemicals or materials, and
• Clean your work area when you’re done using chemicals or other materials.