The following are general guidelines to aid the Incident Safety Officer
in establishing PPE levels. The majority of deployment tasks will
take place in Level D or modified Level D.
The EPA Modified Level D protection scheme consists of the following
PPE:
Cotton or disposable, chemical-resistant (Tyvek®) work uniform
or coveralls.
Leather, steel-toed work boots (with chemical resistant
overboots as necessary) or chemical-resistant, steel-toed boots meeting
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z41-1983, Safety-Toe
Footwear, Classification 75. Approval of the boot type will be the
responsibility of the Incident Safety Officer.
Eye protection, such
as faceshields, goggles, or safety glasses with side shields that meet
ANSI standard Z87.1-1979 (required for operations where debris may
become airborne such as dusty conditions or where splashing of liquids
is a concern). Approval of eye protection equipment will be the responsibility
of the Incident Safety Officer.
Hard hats meeting ANSI standard Z89.1-1986,
Class A, B and C (required only for operations around heavy equipment
or in the presence of overhead hazards).
Chemical-resistant (nitrile)
gloves when handling samples or coming in physical contact with any
material in the area of investigation.
Hearing protection, such as ear plugs or muffs (during operation
of heavy equipment).
If an upgrade in PPE to Level C is required during the field activities,
personnel will wear, as a minimum, the above items with the following
additions:
NIOSH approved full-face air purifying respirators (APR) with dual
organic vapor and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters as
a minimum.
Upgrade to Level B will include wearing a pressure-demand self-contained
breathing apparatus (SCBA), chemical-resistant clothing, chemical-resistant
inner and outer gloves, chemical-resistant outer boots, and a hard hat.
Upgrade to Level A requires wearing all Level B equipment cited above
in addition to a chemical-resistant fully encapsulating suit.
NOTE: APHIS does not currently have the ability or resources to
upgrade to Level A or B.
