SWAN - Solid Waste Alaska Network

Safety gear and protective clothing are important to protect operators and others working with wastes.
Hazardous substances enter your body in four ways: through breathing, eating and touching them, or absorbing them through the skin. These “exposure pathways” are called: inhalation, ingestion, direct contact, and absorption.

Because these are the only ways that hazardous substances can reach your body to harm you, if you block these pathways, you will prevent any harm.

How do you do that?....By using some common sense and some simple safety equipment.

The safety gear you need depends on the tasks you perform and the type of hazardous materials you work with. Read the Table below and you will see what we mean.

Types of safety gear	When to use them	Important information¹
Respirator mask	If burning or when there is a possibility of toxic chemicals	Respiratory Protection Guide to Respirators
Leather gloves and rubber liner gloves	If handling wastes or batteries	Hand Protection Guide to Gloves
Eye protection	If working with batteries or liquid hazardous wastes	Eye Protection Guide to Goggles
Tyvek suit	For walking on piled up wastes if you have to	Body protection How to handle contaminated clothing
Steel-toed boots	All the time. Remember to get your tetanus shot too. Nails and sharp objects can puncture even thick soled boots.
Ear plugs	If using heavy equipment
Hardhat	If walking through unstable wastes. You can also use a strapped-on bicycle helmet.
Medical kit	Have one handy all the time

1Source of ‘Important Information’ column: Guide to Hazardous Products Around the Home. Second Edition. 1989. Missouri Household Hazardous Waste Project; Purdue Research Foundation, 1996 West Lafayette, Indiana; EPA Region 5; www.purdue.edu/dp/envirosoft/housewaste/src/open.htm

Also – if you plan on ever walking around a dumpsite, remember to get your tetanus shot

from the clinic first! Nails and other sharp objects are all around. If you are a waste collection technician or a dump site operator, be sure to get your hepatitis shots, especially if you have honeybucket households.

For more information about how to safely handle hazardous wastes go to the EPA Region 5 and the Purdue Research Foundation website at:
www.purdue.edu/dp/envirosoft/housewaste/src/open.htm

Also for more information about safety and hazardous wastes, check out the NIEHS's Health and Safety website at:
www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/manual/home.htm

Where to purchase safety gear

Spill Shield International
Ask for Kris (she has worked with several Native Villages)
P.O. Box 93009
4735 Gambell Street
Anchorage, AK. 99509-3009
Phone: 561-6033
Web: www.spillshield.com
e-mail: spillshield@ak.net

Fire and Safety Equipment and Clothing
1100 W. Diamond Blvd
Anchorage, AK 99515
Phone: 1 (800) 478-5312
Web: www.firehouseinternational.com

Alaska Safety
7521 Old Seward Hwy, Unit C
Anchorage, Alaska 99518
Phone: 561-5661
E-mail: info@alaskasafety.com
Web: www.alaskasafety.com

Workplace Safety Products
9191 Old Seward Hwy
Anchorage, AK
Phone: 1 (800) 478-9192

Eagle Enterprises Inc.
700 W.International Airport Rd
Anchorage, AK
Phone: 562-2331
Email: eagleent@alaska.net
Web: www.ultimategear.com

Airgas
6000 Arctic Blvd
Anchorage, AK
Phone: 1 (800) 369-4856
Web: www.airgas.com

Army Navy Store (safety clothing)
320 W 4th
Anchorage, AK
Phone: 1 (888) 836-3535
Web: www.army-navy-store.com

Airgas
641 Hughes Avenue,
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: 456-3400

Arctic Fire and Safety
702 30th Av
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: 1 (800) 260-FIRE

Fairbanks Safety Inc
3516 Intl Way
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: 451-1994

Big Ray’s Store (safety clothing)
507 2nd St
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: 452-3458

Juneau

Fireman’s Extinguisher Service
8800 Glacier Hwy Suite 111B
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: 789-1300

Tongass Trading (safety clothing)
201 Dock Street
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
Phone: 1 (800) 235-5102
Web: www.tongasstrading.com

Clean up, spill containment, containers, and safety equipment

Spill Shield International

P.O. Box 93009
4735 Gambell Street
Anchorage, AK. 99509-3009
Phone: 561-6033
Web: www.spillshield.com
e-mail: spillshield@ak.net

New Pig
One Pork Avenue
Tipton, PA 16684-0304
Phone: 1 (800) 468-4647
Email: hothogs@newpig.com
Web: www.newpig.com

Interstate Products, Inc.
511 Interstate Court
Sarasota, FL 34240
Phone: 1 (800) 474-7294
Web: www.interstateproducts.com

Lab Safety Supply, Inc.
PO Box 1368
Janesville, WI 53547-1368
Phone: 1 (800)-356-0783
Web: www.labsafety.com

ASA Industries, Inc.

1520 South Grand Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 1 (800) 314-8719
Web: www.hazmatstorage.com

Denios, Inc.
7000 International Drive
Louisville, KY 40258
Tel: (502) 933-7272
Web: www.thehazmatpro.com

Safetyworld.com.
Victor House Publications
2085 Hurontario St.
Mississauga, ON
Canada, L5A 4G1
Tel: 1 (800) 206-6548
Web: www.safetyworld.com

The vendors are listed on this web site as a directory to assist people in identifying and locating the resources they need to apply to their individual, company, or community situations. CCTHITA neither endorses nor underwrites any of the vendors listed here and is not in any financial relationship with any vendor listed here. CCTHITA does not portray this vendor list as a final or complete list. CCTHITA invites vendors whose products and/or services fit the category of Solid Waste Management to contact Ray Paddock, Environmental Technician, 1-800-344-1432 x7184, about inclusion on the vendor resource web list.