Chapter 7 - Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization

DOE-HDBK-1139/3-2005

Chapter 7 - Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization

1.0 Introduction

This chapter identifies and consolidates existing user safety and health requirements found in DOE

and Federal chemical-related safety and health regulations and National Standards that address

pollution prevention (P2) (see definition) and waste minimization for chemicals (see definition) and

chemical products (see definition). This chapter specifically consolidates requirements found in 42

USC, 40CFR; the "Greening the Government" Executive Orders 13101, 13148; DOE O 450.1; DOE

Acquisition Letter AL-2002-05; and Secretary of Energy Memorandum November 12, 1999, and

includes technical standards that are made mandatory by their specific reference within a regulation,

rule or DOE Order.

This chapter is intended to list chemical-related safety and health requirements and to consolidate

those that are overlapping and/or duplicative. The list of requirements includes "pointers" to the

sources of those requirements.

Requirements for pollution prevention generally involve the integration of P2 into planning,

execution, and evaluation of site activities. Chemical users' participation in pollution prevention

arises from their use of chemicals, and from the site's procurement, distribution, storage and disposal

of chemicals. Safety and health program and environmental pollution prevention program protections

are usually mutually beneficial, and their requirements frequently mutually inclusive.

Consolidated chemical-related safety and health requirements here provide a context for the need for

the chemical user to incorporate pollution prevention into every phase of work, such as planning,

acquisition, operations, waste management/disposal, and continuous improvement. This chapter does

not contain requirements for implementation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reporting

requirements or for environmental regulatory compliance.

This document does NOT create any new or additional requirements.

2.0 Applicability

The information presented here applies to all locations that use chemicals, chemical products or

services that involve the use of chemicals or chemical products. [NOTE: Throughout this document,

the term "chemicals" is used to indicate chemicals and/or chemical products as described in section

3, below.] This chapter is intended only to address chemical health and safety requirements applicable

to chemical user activities. It consolidates existing, core safety and health requirements that all sites

must follow when engaged in chemical-related activities.

The requirements included in this chapter come from sources that have different safety purposes. As

a result, some of these requirements may not always be applicable to the work being performed at an

individual site or facility. It is the responsibility of each user to determine the applicability of specific

requirements to their work and how they are implemented. The reference sources for the

requirements included in this chapter can be used to determine the applicability of those requirements

to the work being performed.