Work Plan

Prior to performing work on the decontamination of a property, the property owner or decontamination specialist is required to prepare a written work plan. A good work plan template can be found in the Decontamination Specialist Training Manual written by the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

As defined by the Rule, the work plan must contain the following:

- information that identifies the property; street address, mailing address, name of the owner of the property, legal description of the property, county tax or parcel identification number. If the property is a vehicle, mobile home, trailer, or boat, the work plan should record the vehicle identification number.

- the certification number of the decontamination specialist, if one is used. This number is assigned to individuals by DEQ that have completed the CLASS and passed the examination.

- copies of the decontamination specialist's current certification.

- photographs of the property before decontamination.

- a description of the areas of the property that are highly suggestive of contamination and of the areas that are unlikely to be contaminated. This should include descriptions of locations where illegal drug processing was performed, hazardous chemicals were stored or disposed of, and locations that have stained materials and surfaces. Any visible contamination should be thoroughly described using descriptions such as color of residue and/or stains, area of contamination, etc.

- a description of contaminants and hazardous chemicals that may be on the property. This description should list identifying characteristics such as color, odor, whether the contaminants are liquid, solid, powder, etc., health and physical hazards that may be associated with the chemical, and if possible, estimates of the amounts of contaminants. These descriptions will help in determining which methods of decontamination will be used and which safety methods may be required.

- during the preliminary assessment, the decontamination specialist will have tested for corrosive, flammable, combustible, and toxic atmospheres in the contaminated areas of the property. The results of this testing will be recorded in the written work plan.

- a description of the personal protective equipment (PPE) that will be used while on-site at the contaminated property. This list may include eye protection, type of gloves and boots, respiratory equipment or facemasks, body suit, etc. The level of protective equipment required is based on the hazard level of the property as determined from the preliminary assessment. This hazard level may change as work progresses on the property.

- health and safety procedures that will be followed during decontamination of the property. The work plan should describe what course of action would be taken in the event of a fire, explosion, chemical spill or other event that may compromise the health and safety of those working on the property. This should include contact numbers for fire department and emergency medical care. To ensure the safety of on-site workers, there should be a list of procedures for decontaminating work equipment, personal protective equipment, and the workers themselves.

Based on the results and findings of the Preliminary Assessment, a description of the decontamination to be performed shall be summarized as part of the Work Plan. A detailed summary of the work to be performed shall include the following:

- a list and description of all surfaces, materials, and articles that are to be removed from the site.

- a list and description of all surfaces, materials, and articles that are to be cleaned on-site.

- documentation of all procedures to be used for removal of contaminated items and all procedures to be used in cleaning. This includes surfaces, materials, and articles that are in areas considered to be highly suggestive of contamination and of areas that are not highly suggestive of contamination.

- a list of the areas where decontamination will occur.

- all containment and negative pressure containment plans.

- personnel decontamination procedures to be used to prevent the spread of contamination.

The Work Plan shall also include:

- the shoring plan, if the building requires one. During the Preliminary Assessment, the structural integrity of the property may have been found to be compromised and that shoring of property was required to ensure the safety of decontamination workers. If so, the work plan requires a written description and/or drawing of the proposed structural supports required to safely occupy the property during the decontamination procedure.

- a proposed plan to demonstrate that the property has been cleaned up after the decontamination has taken place. This should include post-decontamination sampling locations, parameters, techniques, and quality assurance requirements.

- the names of all individuals who will be gathering confirmation samples, the name of the analytical laboratory that will be performing the chemical analysis of the samples, and a copy of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) used by the analytical laboratory for each analytical method used.

- a description of the procedures to be used in disposing of contaminated materials and the name of the anticipated disposal facility.

- a schedule detailing the anticipated time frames required to complete the decontamination of the property.

- all other available information that relates to the contamination and the affected property based on the findings and conclusions of the preliminary assessment.

Before the procedures detailed in the Work Plan can be started, the Work Plan must be approved in writing by the owner of the property and by the decontamination specialist who will execute the Work Plan (if a decontamination specialist will be used to clean up the property). The Work Plan must also be submitted to the local health department with jurisdiction over the county in which the property is located. The local health departments and their corresponding counties are as follows:

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