Hazardous Materials Enforcement/Inspection

On-Line Documentation

UNIDOCS, the Uniform Documents Project, provides access to the most current versions of Santa Clara County Fire Chief's Hazardous Materials Subcommittee and Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health documents, forms, guidelines and procedures. It also provides links to local hazardous materials and hazardous waste regulatory agencies and related sites.

The State Water Resources Control Board California Underground Storage Tank Program has a website containing Underground Storage Tanks Regulations, as well as news, updates and other related information.

Inspections

Can I wash my car in my driveway?

Technically, you can only wash your car at a car wash, at least in the Bay Area, where this department is located. Storm drains flow directly to the bay, and the water is not treated the way waste water from your home is. Nothing but rain water should be washed down the storm drain, not even soap from washing your car. For that reason, you should also not dump any dirty water from other projects down the storm drain either; pour it down your sink or toilet. If you must dump outside, it is better to dump rinse water on your lawn instead of down a storm drain; this lets the ground filter the water.

The Hazardous Materials Section provides a comprehensive program of plan review and inspection for hazardous materials system installations, modifications, and closures. A Senior Hazardous Materials Specialist and two Hazardous Materials Specialists promote compliance with local Hazardous Materials Storage Ordinances as well as the regulations for hazardous materials found in the Uniform Fire Code and state laws. Personnel assigned to the Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team assist by performing inspections of facilities with permits to store and/or use hazardous materials.

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 704 Placarding System

This placard is used at fixed facilities to indicate general information about the contents at that site, which can be used by emergency responders to identify it's contents and precautions that will need to be taken.

Health Hazard (Blue):: 4: Death; 3: Extreme Danger; 2: Hazardous; 1: Slightly Hazardous; 0: Normal Material
Fire Hazard (Red):: Flash Points; 4: Below 73°F (22.8°C); 3: Below 100°F (82.2°C); 2: Above 100°F (82.2°C), not exceeding 200°F (93.3°C); 1: Above 200°F (93.3°C); 0: Will not burn
Reactivity (Yellow):: 4: May Detonate; 3: Shock and Heat may detonate; 2: Violent chemical change; 1: Unstable if heated; 0: Stable
Specific Hazard (White):: ACID: Acid; ALK: Alkali; COR: Corrosive; CRY or CRYO: Cryogenic; OX or OXY: Oxidizer; POI: Poison; P : Polymerization; SA: Simple Asphyxiant; : Radioactive; : Biohazard; W : Use No Water

Note: Only W , OX/OXY and SA are officially part of the NFPA 704 standard, but other self-explanatory symbols are occasionally used in an unofficial manner. The use of non-standard symbols or text may be permitted, required or disallowed by the authority having jurisdiction (e.g., fire department).

Partial Source: Wikipedia

Hazard Index:

Health (Blue):: 4 Extreme: Very short exposure could cause death or major residual injury, even with prompt medical treatment.; 3 Serious: Short to moderate exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury, even with prompt medical treatment.; 2 Moderate: Intense or prolonged exposure could cause temporary effects or possible residual injury unless prompt medical treatment is given.; 1 Slight: Exposure may cause irritation but only minor residual injury, even without medical treatment.; 0 Minimal: Essentially non-toxic.
Fire (Red):: 4 Extreme: Extremely flammable. Flashpoint below 73°F (22.8°C).; 3 Serious: Flammable. Can be ignited under almost all ambient conditions.; 2 Moderate: Combustable. Must be heated or exposed to relatively high ambient temperatures to ignite.; 1 Slight: Slightly combustable. Must be preheated to burn.; 0 Minimal: Will not burn.
Reactivity (Yellow):: 4 Extreme: Could detonate, explode or react at normal temperatures and pressures.; 3 Serious: Could detonate, explode or react but requires a strong initiating source of heat with confinement. May react explosively with water.; 2 Moderate: Normally unstable and could react violently but not detonate. May react violently with water or form explosive mixture with water.; 1 Slight: Normally stable but can become unstable at elevated temperatures or pressures. May react energetically with water.; 0 Minimal: Stable and not reactive with water.

If you are interesting in finding out how to classify your business or building's contents, and what numbers your placard should display, the UNIDOCS, Uniform Documents Project website, provides instructions on determining what numbers your placard should have.