HAZWOPER Decontamination Lines: Setup, Sequence, and Doffing Failures

29 CFR 1910.120(k) · Decontamination

Keywords: HAZWOPER decontamination, decon line sequence, doffing PPE order, gross decontamination, contamination reduction corridor, personal decontamination, decon effectiveness testing

Decon Line — Typical Stations

1. Gross decon: high-volume water rinse at the edge of the exclusion zone to remove bulk contamination.
2. Outer garment wash and rinse: scrub suit with long-handled brushes; rinse down.
3. Outer boot and glove removal: removed and bagged as hazardous waste.
4. SCBA facepiece removal (if applicable): while inner gloves are still on.
5. Suit and inner glove removal: roll suit outward — contaminated surface folds inward.
6. Inner garment decon: if worn, remove and bag.
7. Personal shower: soap and water shower before leaving the contamination reduction zone.
8. Medical monitoring: vital signs check after decon, especially heat stress assessment.

Critical Doffing Principles

• Always work from the most contaminated (outer) to least contaminated (inner).
• Roll suits downward and outward — never pull over the head; this concentrates contamination near the face.
• A helper (decon team member) in appropriate PPE assists with doffing — self-decon increases the risk of self-contamination.
• All removed items go directly into labeled waste containers or bags — nothing is placed on clean surfaces.
• Reusable equipment (SCBA, tools) gets its own decon station separate from personnel decon.

Decon Exam Traps

• Removing the SCBA facepiece before the outer suit is removed contaminates the breathing zone — this is the most common doffing error tested.
• Decon water runoff is contaminated waste — it must be contained and cannot be allowed to drain freely to the ground or storm sewer.
• The number of decon stations is not fixed — it is determined by the hazards involved. More toxic or more contaminating operations require more stations.
• Decon personnel must wear PPE appropriate to the contaminants they are handling — usually one level below the entry team at minimum.
• An emergency decon protocol must be established before entry operations begin — you cannot develop it after an incident occurs.
• Effectiveness of decon can be tested using wipe samples or UV fluorescent tracer compounds applied to suits during drills.

Decon Doffing Order — Remember

Outer boots → outer gloves → suit → SCBA (if external) → inner gloves → inner garments → shower

Think: peel the onion outward. The last thing on was your innermost layer — it comes off last.