CEM CEM Emergency Response & Environmental Incidents 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan is required under which regulation?
- RCRA Subtitle C
- Clean Water Act 40 CFR Part 112 (Correct answer)
- TSCA Section 8
- EPCRA Section 302
Correct answer: Clean Water Act 40 CFR Part 112
SPCC plans are required under 40 CFR Part 112 (Clean Water Act) for facilities with oil storage above threshold quantities that could reasonably be expected to discharge oil to navigable waters.
Question 2: The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Section 302 requires facilities to notify Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) when they have:
- Any quantity of a hazardous chemical on-site
- Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) at or above threshold planning quantities (Correct answer)
- More than 500 employees working with chemicals
- A Tier II reporting obligation under Section 312
Correct answer: Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) at or above threshold planning quantities
EPCRA Section 302 requires facilities storing Extremely Hazardous Substances at or above their threshold planning quantities to notify their SERC and LEPC to support emergency planning.
Question 3: During an environmental emergency, the Incident Action Plan (IAP) serves as:
- A legal document submitted to regulators during the incident
- The operational plan documenting objectives, tactics, and assignments for each operational period (Correct answer)
- A post-incident report summarizing cleanup costs
- The facility's pre-approved emergency response plan on file with FEMA
Correct answer: The operational plan documenting objectives, tactics, and assignments for each operational period
An IAP is developed at each operational period during an incident response, specifying incident objectives, strategies, tactics, and resource assignments for that period.
Question 4: Which of the following is the primary purpose of decontamination during a hazardous materials emergency response?
- To collect evidence of chemical identity for regulatory reporting
- To prevent contaminants from spreading beyond the incident site and protect responders and the public (Correct answer)
- To neutralize all hazardous substances before disposal
- To sample contaminated soil for laboratory testing
Correct answer: To prevent contaminants from spreading beyond the incident site and protect responders and the public
Decontamination removes or neutralizes hazardous substances from personnel and equipment to prevent cross-contamination, protect responders, and prevent the spread of contamination.
Question 5: EPCRA Section 304 requires facilities to immediately notify local emergency planners and state emergency response commissions when:
- Annual Tier II chemical inventory reports are submitted
- A release of an EHS or CERCLA hazardous substance exceeds the reportable quantity (Correct answer)
- A new chemical is added to the facility's chemical inventory
- A Facility Response Plan is updated
Correct answer: A release of an EHS or CERCLA hazardous substance exceeds the reportable quantity
Section 304 mandates immediate emergency notification to LEPCs and SERCs when a release of an EHS or CERCLA hazardous substance above its reportable quantity occurs.
Question 6: In hazardous materials response, the 'hot zone' is defined as:
- The area designated for media and public observers
- The area immediately surrounding an incident where contamination is present and PPE is required (Correct answer)
- The command post location for incident management
- The decontamination corridor used to clean responders
Correct answer: The area immediately surrounding an incident where contamination is present and PPE is required
The hot zone (exclusion zone) is the area of actual or potential contamination where the highest level of PPE is required and only essential trained responders are permitted to enter.
CEM CEM Emergency Response & Environmental Incidents 2
A Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan is required under which regulation?