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  • Accidental releases from non-covered processes

    Should the owner or operator include accidental releases from processes containing listed substances below the threshold quantity in the five-year accident history required under the hazard assessment provisions of 40 CFR Part 68, Subpart B, and in the incident investigation requirements under 40 CFR Part 68, Subparts C and D…

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  • Do I have to report accidents that resulted in medical treatment?

    I had a release where several people were treated at the hospital and released; they attributed their symptoms to exposure. We do not believe that their symptoms were in fact the result of exposure to the released substance. Do we have to report these as offsite impacts? Yes, you should…

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  • What does it mean when EPA finds contamination that “exceeds screening levels?”

    Screening levels are not the same as cleanup or action levels. An exceedance of a screening level indicates the need for additional evaluation, potentially including a site-specific risk assessment.

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  • If EPA finds any contamination associated with the Norwood Landfill site that “exceeds” what is considered safe, will EPA clean up that contamination - even if the Agency cannot find any “pathways” for that contamination to reach humans or sensitive environments?

    If the sampling data shows an exceedance of a screening level, EPA will consult with the site Toxicologist and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to conduct a human health risk screening assessment to determine any potential threat to human health. EPA will also consult with the…

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  • What questions was EPA trying to find answers to during its first round of sampling at the Norwood Landfill site?

    The main question that EPA seeks to answer is whether the identified waste areas warrant consideration for placement of the Site on the National Priorities List (NPL) or Superfund List. In the first round of sampling, EPA collected surface soil samples (0-2 feet) from the landfill property, and surface water…

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  • How do you know you are not missing some areas that might be contaminated?

    EPA uses all credible information available, including community input, regarding the boundaries and geographic areas of waste that may have been deposited or where contaminated soil may have been placed. The team selects its sampling locations based on those areas and consults historic aerial images that help depict those boundaries.

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  • Will EPA sample the Glenolden Laboratory property?

    The former Glenolden Laboratory property located on South Avenue is a separate site. The previous owners conducted a voluntary cleanup pursuant to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (PADEP) Environmental Cleanup Program, known as Act 2. Concerns regarding remedial actions conducted under Act 2 should be directed to PADEP as…

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  • What is the definition of "offsite property damage?"

    I am working on the five-year accident history portion of the hazard assessment under the RMP. Section 68.42(a) tells me to include "all accidental releases from covered processes that resulted in deaths, injuries, or significant property damage on site, or known offsite deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering in place, property damage…

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  • When does the accident history's five-year period begin?

    The hazard assessment requirements under 40 CFR Part 68, Subpart B include provision of a five-year accident history, as specified at §68.42. When does the five-year period to be reported in the accident history begin? The five-year accident history must include information on all accidental releases from covered processes meeting…

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  • What is the definition of injury?

    Under the hazard assessment requirements of 40 CFR Part 68, Subpart B, an owner or operator must document a five-year accident history including all accidental releases from covered processes that resulted in deaths, injuries, or significant property damage on site, or known offsite deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering in place, property…

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  • Do Program Level 1 processes need to do five-year accident histories?

    What is the relationship between the accident history criteria for Program 1 and the five-year accident history? If my process is eligible for Program 1, do I still need to do a five-year accident history? The five-year accident history is an information collection requirement that is designed to provide data…

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  • Will EPA conduct sampling in local parks in the Norwood community?

    EPA will sample Norwood Park because of its close proximity to the Old Norwood Dump and Norwood Landfill. There is no current information that would warrant sampling in other parks.

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  • Do we need a Good Laboratory Practice-certified commercial lab(s) for the chemical analyses? We believe the answer will be no.

    The NOFO does not include a requirement regarding Good Laboratory Practice certification for laboratories. However, if selected, the awarded applicant will be required to submit quality assurance documentation, including a demonstration of competency for all aspects of the project that include environmental data. Please see page 7 of the NOFO…

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  • Five-Year Accident History for Non-Gas Releases

    Pursuant to 40 CFR §68.42(a), the owner or operator of a stationary source subject to the risk management program regulations must document significant accidental releases of regulated substances from a covered process in the five years prior to the submission of an initial or updated risk management plan (RMP). For…

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  • What level of off-site property damage triggers five-year accident history reporting?

    What level of off-site property damage triggers reporting? Any level of known offsite property damage triggers inclusion of the accident in the five-year accident history. You are not required to conduct a survey to determine if such damage occurred, but if you know, or could reasonably be expected to know…

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