Training for Oil Spill Volunteers

Volunteer Responder Opportunities Depend on Proper Certification

Nov 17, 2007

If you are interested in being able to respond to oil spill cleanup efforts as a volunteer, consider taking a hazardous waste operations and emergency response course.

58,000 gallons of bunker fuel spilled from the 810-foot container ship Cosco Busan into San Francisco Bay after the ship struck a tower of the Bay Bridge. Many willing volunteers went away frustrated after clean up officials refused to let near fouled beaches. One volunteer was even arrested by a National Park Ranger for cleaning oil from a beach.

An Aggravating Issue - This experience in California isn't unique and aggravates both natural resource agency managers and potential clean up volunteers. Uncontained petroleum products like crude oil, bunker C or diesel fuel are hazardous materials. Those who come into contact with the materials face a myriad of safety regulations. At the most basic level of regulation, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires safety training for "Clean-up operations required by a governmental body, whether Federal, state local or other involving hazardous substances that are conducted at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites", under 29 CFR 1910.120(a)(1)(i) of the Code of Federal Regulations. It's not that volunteer work isn't needed or appreciated, it's that volunteers must be qualified like any other employee engaged in oil spill cleanup activities.

Basic Spill Training - The basic training required for oil spill clean up workers is a 24 hour HAZWOPER class. HAZWOPER stands for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. The training grew out of the Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act (SARA) and is meant to ensure the safety of workers involved in hazardous waste cleanup activities. There has been some guidance from OSHA that says during post-emergency response operations, workers may be allowed to participate in a cleanup with less than 24 hours of training (29 CFR 1910.120(q)(11)). This exception would involve beach cleanup operations that have permissible exposure limits and a pose a minimal health risk of skin absorption to workers. This provision accounts for the crash courses conducted by response agencies looking for emergency help on a spill. A number of agencies arranged volunteer training in the aftermath of the Cosco Busan.

Emergency Preparedness - If you have an interest in volunteering to help in oil spill cleanup operations, the best way to prepare for responding to an incident is to take a 24 hour HAZWOPER class before it is required of you. Once you are certified, you only need to take a 8 hour refresher annually to stay qualified. There are many training opportunities available to interested volunteers. If you are part of a civic group, groups like the Coast Guard, fire departments, state environmental conservation offices, fish and game units, and community response organizations will often come to your meetings and provide the training for free. Talk to emergency planners in your community, there are often classes held in a number of different venues free for the taking.

Volunteering to help in an environmental crisis is satisfying and provides great benefits to response agencies operating with limited resources. Take time to become prepared and you will avoid feeling frustrated when the time come for you to be needed.

The copyright of the article Training for Oil Spill Volunteers in Pollution Control is owned by Alan Sorum. Permission to republish Training for Oil Spill Volunteers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.