WI DNR Field Procedures Manual
Intranet Edition

Part B: Collection Procedures

701.2 Sediment Sampling Safety

Introduction

The reason for managing contaminated sediments is to protect living things (including humans) from the risks of exposure to sediment borne contaminants. It would be counter productive for the people who must physically handle the sediment to put themselves at unnecessary risks by not attempting to protect themselves from avoidable exposure to contaminants in the sediments. A safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) document for sediment sampling follows this introduction.. It is highly recommended that all personnel involved in sediment sampling use common sense in limiting exposures to contaminated sediments since the contaminants in sediments and the resultant short and long term health effects from exposure are often unknown.

In addition to the dangers of chemical exposure during sediment handling, safety precautions to prevent injury while in the field should be followed from the Safety SOPs related to open water monitoring and boating. These Safety SOPs should be available from the Department Safety Office and the Regional Water Resource Managers.

The following Sediment Safety SOP includes procedures and cautions to be taken under different circumstances. The safety procedures written may be too rigid for many sites that would be encountered in Wisconsin and may be too lax for some contaminated sites in Wisconsin. The point is to use your best judgement and always try to err on the side of caution or overprotection. It is important to report any exposure, especially if anyone experiences any symptoms during or after the field work or sediment exposure. This is partly for the benefit of the staff person doing the field work, but also so the DNR Safety office can begin to gather information about contaminated site exposures and resultant health problems. The information you give the Safety office may be helpful to other staff in the future and can be used to decide on the level of safety equipment needed to work at a particular site.

Many of the recommendations in this SOP regarding sediment exposure are derived from EPA safety regulations and are less rigorous than what is required of EPA staff. Therefore, the strongest recommendation to follow is to minimize exposure to contaminants in the sediment and water whenever possible.

Sediment Sampling and Monitoring Standard Safety Operating Procedures

Objective: Sample sediments or a component of sediments from contaminated or unknown sites.

Physical/Setting: Open water, ice covered water body, wetlands, rivers and streams, near dams, urban or city waterways.

Possible Hazards: Boating related accidents; thin ice; equipment related injuries; extreme weather exposure; exposure to known and unknown hazardous chemicals or infectious agents through direct contact, inhalation and/or ingestion of contaminated sediment or water.

Prohibited Activities: Eating, drinking or smoking is prohibited while at a site or without taking proper sanitary precautions after leaving a site; see related SOPs.

1. Site Safety Plan

   Projects of any duration where more than two people are involved in the sampling effort and the sites are known to be contaminated should have a set of project specific safety guidelines written down and passed on to all staff involved. (These guidelines need not be formal, just informative. This is to make sure everyone involved has thought about and understands any site related safety issues.) The written guidelines should contain information about:

   1. Contaminants suspected or known to exist at the site

   2. Protective gear necessary for each major task while sampling (taking notes may not require the same gear as pulling cores)

   3. A list of the personnel on project with specialized safety training (to be consulted by other staff if questions arise)

   4. A list of any other known hazards of the site.
2. Recommended Training

   Depending on circumstances and site: Forty-hour (EPA) or other personal safety and hazardous materials training is recommended for at least one member of sampling team (see references below); First aid; CPR.

3. Equipment

   Protective clothing suitable to the site and weather conditions and type of sampling effort. These should include: sturdy gloves of adequate length; rubber boots, hip boots or waders; protective clothing such as rain gear or coveralls to prevent skin contact or contamination of personal clothing; and goggles or face shield. means to wash skin in case of contact; First aid kit including a first aid guide booklet (M.C. 9182.2); area emergency phone numbers.

4. Support Staff

   For help with specific project safety plans, the department safety office should be consulted at: (608) 267-4580 in Madison.

5. Medical Monitoring

   Refer to M.C.9180.7 on Employee Medical Surveillance. Baseline and yearly if personnel make significant contact (greater than 30 field days/year at known contaminated sites) with contaminated sediment/water. All incidents of contact with contaminated sediments that produce symptoms should be reported to a supervisor and to the Department Safety Office.

6. Related SOPs

   Sampling from boat; Extreme weather hazards; Monitoring during ice cover; Open water monitoring; Personnel safety.

7. Procedures to Follow:

   1. Before Going Into The Field

      1. Review site location and any contamination or discharger history, or prior sampling efforts to familiarize yourself with possible contaminants present.

      2. Review other safety SOPs applicable to your sampling effort.

      3. Make sure you know how to operate all equipment before getting to the field. This will increase sampling accuracy as well as safety.

      4. Assume an unknown site to be contaminated unless you have good reason (i.e., chemical evidence) to believe otherwise, and plan accordingly.

      5. Be aware of where the nearest emergency medical facility is to sampling sites. Just knowing this detail could save time in case of an emergency.

      6. Carry a phone credit card and/or mobile phone while travelling or in the field.
   2. While Sampling at a Site

      1. Protect yourself (skin, eyes) from exposure to contaminated sediment, water by wearing adequate protective clothing. Sturdy (and chemical resistant as contaminants dictate) gloves should be worn anytime you will be working with sediments of known or unknown contamination. Waders or rubber boots, rain pants and rain coat or coveralls protect the wearer's clothing and skin from exposure. Goggles or a face shield should be worn if splashing could occur while sampling. Shorts are not recommended for sediment sampling at contaminated sites unless covered with protective clothing.

      2. Clean all equipment and protective clothing as well as possible before leaving the site or as soon as possible. This will protect the field vehicle from becoming contaminated and will help prevent cross-contamination between sites and samples; especially if you are collecting samples for chemical analysis.

      3. Carry waterproof first aid kit including: eye wash, wash soap and clean water to site. Any sediment splashed on the skin or in eyes should be washed immediately or as soon as possible, but do not scrub the skin hard as this may increase absorption into the skin. Certain sediment contaminants can produce a skin rash within minutes (especially if exposed to the sun) while others (some possible carcinogens) may be absorbed through the skin unnoticed by the field person.

      4. Break for clean-up and lunch in a non-contaminated area. Do not eat, drink or smoke while at a contaminated site or without proper clean-up after leaving the site.

      5. No sampling effort is worth risking your health! If a site is obviously contaminated, and produces adverse symptoms such as headache, nausea, lightheadedness or lung, skin or eye irritation, leave the site immediately and do not return until proper steps are taken to insure the site can be sampled safely by staff.

      6. Although Water Resources staff will rarely encounter a site so contaminated as to pose a real inhalation hazard, respirators may be necessary at some hazardous sites with volatile chemicals. Respirator training is required to assure proper respirator selection and use. The DNR Safety Office in Madison (see below) has information about training for use of respirators.

      7. Maintain awareness of potential physical and chemical hazards of a site.

      8. Shower as soon as possible at the end of the day.
   3. Handling Contaminated Samples And Chemicals Used In Sampling

      1. Adequately label all samples and chemicals.

      2. Excess sediment should be disposed of at the site where it came from.

      3. Used chemicals and chemical containers should be properly stored and carried from site for proper disposal. (Refer to SOP for Chemical Handling).

      4. Alert the laboratory receiving your samples of any suspected or known "high level" contamination in the samples, either by calling ahead if the samples are sent by mail (so they know about it before they open it), or as an attached note describing the contaminants as best possible.

Further information about maintaining safety at a site or for a particular project can be obtained by contacting the Department Safety Office in Madison (AF/7) at (608) 267-4580.

Rev. 0, April 1995

This document is intended solely as guidance and does not contain any mandatory requirements except where requirements found in statute or administrative rule are referenced. This guidance does not establish or affect legal rights or obligations and is not finally determinative of any of the issues addressed. This guidance does not create any rights enforceable by any party in litigation with the State of Wisconsin or the Department of Natural Resources. Any regulatory decisions made by the Department of Natural Resources in any matter addressed by this guidance will be made by applying the governing statutes and administrative rules to the relevant facts. (From Manual Code 1210.1)