OSC 2007 Evaluation Report

2007 OSC Readiness Training Program Evaluation Report
Advanced Hazard Identification and Categorization
Instructors: Doug Ferguson, EPA Region 7
Randy Schademann, EPA Region 7
This 1-day advanced course focused on specific techniques that OSCs can use when responding to
incidents involving abandoned containers or other materials of unknown composition. Participants were
expected to be proficient at field chemical identification techniques before they took this course. By
taking the course, participants achieved the following objectives:
• Developed an understanding of major chemical families, their properties, and the techniques used
to identify them.
• Applied a step-by-step approach to categorize the major hazards of wastes typically encountered
at EPA responses. This process helped participants decide whether and what type of further
analysis of the material was needed, and to determine whether bulking the wastes was possible.
• Used wet chemical and electronic instrumentation to identify many materials of unknown
composition, or applied basic hazard categorization to determine the general chemical family to
which these materials belong (such as alcohol, ketone, acid, base, and hydrocarbon).
• Explored practical applications for advanced field chemical identification by reviewing a variety
of case studies that had successfully applied the methods. A discussion was included about
potential cost savings as a result of using reduced analytical services and a decrease in time spent
on tasks.
The instructional methodology for this course included lecture, case studies, and group exercises.
Number of Participants Who
Pre-registered
Participation and Average Grade
Number of Participants Who
Signed Course Roster
Number of Evaluation
Forms Submitted
Average
Grade
37 35 22 5*
* The grade displayed is the average of the grades provided on the evaluation forms, where
1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Good, and 5 = Excellent.
C-6 Comments about Individual Training Courses