Hazardous Materials Management Flashcards
6 cards from real CHSP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Hazardous Materials Management flashcards as text
A hospital pharmacy is disposing of several partially used vials of warfarin with a concentration of 1%. According to the EPA's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), how must this specific pharmaceutical waste be managed?
Answer: As a P-listed acute hazardous waste.
Warfarin at concentrations greater than 0.3% is classified by the EPA as a P-listed acute hazardous waste (P001). This classification subjects the waste to the most stringent RCRA management standards, including lower quantity accumulation limits for determining generator status.
A healthcare facility is reviewing its Hazard Communication Program. According to OSHA's standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), which of the following is a mandatory section within the standardized 16-section Safety Data Sheet (SDS) format?
Answer: All of the above
OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard requires a specific 16-section format for all Safety Data Sheets. All the options listed—Section 4 (First-aid measures), Section 8 (Exposure controls/personal protection), and Section 9 (Physical and chemical properties)—are required sections that provide critical safety information to employees.
An employee in the oncology pharmacy accidentally drops and breaks a vial of a liquid cytotoxic drug, resulting in a small spill on the floor. After alerting others and securing the area, what is the MOST appropriate immediate action for the trained responder to take?
Answer: Don the appropriate chemotherapy-specific Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from a designated spill kit.
The immediate priority in any hazardous material spill response is the safety of the responder. Before any cleanup attempt, the individual must don the appropriate PPE, which for cytotoxic drugs typically includes double gloves, a non-permeable gown, eye protection, and respiratory protection. This is a critical step to prevent occupational exposure. Using standard paper towels is insufficient, bleach can have dangerous reactions, and documentation occurs after the immediate hazard is controlled.
A hospital laboratory must ship a patient's sputum specimen, which is suspected to contain *Mycobacterium tuberculosis*, to a reference lab for diagnostic testing. How should this specimen be classified for shipment under Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations?
Answer: As a Category B Infectious Substance, UN 3373.
Under DOT regulations, an infectious substance transported for diagnostic purposes that is not in a form capable of causing permanent disability or fatal disease in healthy humans is classified as a Category B Infectious Substance, UN 3373. While a *culture* of Mycobacterium tuberculosis would be classified as Category A, a patient specimen for diagnosis falls under the less stringent Category B requirements.
Which of the following is the primary factor that determines a healthcare facility's hazardous waste generator status (e.g., Very Small, Small, or Large Quantity Generator) under the EPA's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)?
Answer: The total amount of hazardous waste generated in a calendar month.
The EPA categorizes hazardous waste generators based on the quantity of hazardous waste they produce in a calendar month. For example, generating more than 1,000 kg of hazardous waste or more than 1 kg of acutely hazardous waste per month typically classifies a facility as a Large Quantity Generator (LQG), which has the most stringent regulatory requirements.
A hospital's laboratory conducts initial air monitoring for formaldehyde and finds employee exposures are at 0.6 ppm as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). According to the OSHA Formaldehyde standard (29 CFR 1910.1048), what is the employer now required to do?
Answer: Initiate periodic exposure monitoring and implement a medical surveillance program.
The OSHA Formaldehyde standard has an 'Action Level' of 0.5 ppm. When initial monitoring shows exposures at or above this level, the employer is required to begin periodic monitoring and establish a medical surveillance program for exposed employees. Respirators are mandated at the higher Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.75 ppm, and specific danger signs are also required when the PEL is exceeded.