Are these hazardous materials technicians required to receive medical surveillance per the requirements of a HAZMAT team member?
A HAZMAT Technician would be required to receive medical surveillance if he or she fell into one or more of the following categories: (1) member of an organized HAZMAT team; (2) exposed to hazardous substances at levels above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or other published exposure levels, without regard to the use of respirators for 30 days or more a year; or (3) wears a respirator for 30 days or more a year or as required by 1910.134. Additionally, any employee who is injured, becomes ill or develops signs or symptoms due to possible overexposure from an emergency response is required to receive medical consultation and treatment. In Example D, the employer’s emergency response plan must address worst-case release scenarios with standard operating procedures for responding to these releases. As stated above, if the job responsibilities of an employee require that he or she respond to a broad spectrum of releases throughout the facility as part of an organized “team”, then the
