When analyzing a hazardous materials incident at the awareness level you are responsible for recognizing the presence of hazardous materials.
Smell - Some hazardous materials have a distinctive smell that can be used to indicate its presence. Sight - You can see the hazardous material.
White froth in water may or may not be an indication of a hazardous material. It may only indicate the presence of a soap or detergent.
Sensory clues to the presence of a hazardous material in water could be the water looking dirty. Also it could have a funky smell to it.
A limitation of using your senses to determine the presence of a hazardous material is that some hazardous materials are hazardous at concentrations too low for your senses to detect. In addition, some materials are very apparent to your senses at concentrations that are very small fractions of the concentration at which they become hazardous. If you are close enough to sense hazardous materials, you may have already endangered yourself.
B. Inhaling the released material.
A placard identifying hazard class 6 describes the presence of a poisonous gas. For an image, see the related link, below.
Protect yourself Recognize the presence of hazardous material Call for trained personnel Secure the area
Water that has an oily appearance, unusual algae growth, or white froth may be contaminated. Discolored soil, bare spots in the ground where vegetation has died off, dead animals, and the presence of metal drums or other specially designed containers also signal a potential problem.
No, in most cases, the sense of smell is not a reliable means of identifying the presence of a hazardous materials.Many hazardous materials have no odor, and others are hazardous at concentrations that are too low to be smelled by most people.In addition there are many materials that have obnoxious odors but are not otherwise hazardous.
with the conductor or engineer
According to OSHA, at the awareness level, a person should have the following:An understanding of what hazardous substances are, and the risks associated with them in an incident.An understanding of the potential outcomes associated with an emergency created when hazardous substances are present.The ability to recognize the presence of hazardous substances in an emergency.The ability to identify the hazardous substances, if possible.The knowledge of what to do in a suspicious situation.