Governor?s Office of Emergency Services (OES) May 25,
1999
>sjd/Y2K Hazardous Materials Project Manager
> REPORT TO THE Y2K EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TASK
FORCE
> on the Y2K Hazardous Materials Project
>
> STATUS OF PROJECT
> May 27, 1999
>
>Goal: Per the Governor?s instructions, the Governor?s Office
of Emergency
>Services (OES) is implementing a program to protect the safety
of the
>people of the state and the environment through assuring Y2K
readiness by
>the more than 110,000 hazardous materials handlers/businesses/facilities
in
>California.
>
>Methodology: This will be accomplished through ?triaging?
the hazardous
>materials handlers to determine which processes are vulnerable
to Y2K
>failures and which are not; and which handlers have the resources
and
>technical expertise to address their Y2K issues and which
do not. Using
>the triaged list, local government will be the primary means
for evaluation
>and appropriate action. The state level effort will focus
on providing
>training and technical assistance to local government, as
well as outreach
>and awareness materials to handlers.
>
>Objectives:
>1. Coordinate the Y2K efforts of technical experts including,
but not
>limited to, water quality, air quality, radiological, chemical
process
>safety, toxicology, industrial hygiene, pesticide, and medical
waste.
>2. Communicate with hazardous materials handlers about potential
Y2K
>impacts on their processes and the Governor?s concern about
safety issues
>related to Y2K.
>3. Work with the technical experts to identify those materials,
>processes, and handlers most vulnerable to Y2K failures which
could impact
>health/safety/environment.
>4. Emphasize compliance with existing laws (compliance with
existing laws
>will provide handlers with good preparedness for any impact
from Y2K).
>5. Using local government, state inspectors and/or consultant
services,
>conduct onsite visits to the most vulnerable handlers. Encourage
the
>handlers to remediate technical problems, create work-around
procedures,
>and update contingency plans.
>6. If any problems cannot be addressed with reasonable assurance,
develop
>contingencies to avoid possible hazardous material incidents.
>
>Process: OES is working with:
>? Local government;
>? Industry, trade associations, and labor unions;
>? Community and environmental groups; and
>? State agencies and departments including CalEPA (Air
Resources Board,
>State Water Resources Control Board, Department of Pesticide
Regulation,
>Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and Department
of Toxic
>Substances Control), Department of Health Services/Radiological
Health
>Branch, Department of Industrial Relations/Division of Occupational
Safety
>and Health, California Department of Forestry, State Fire
Marshal, and
>California Trade and Commerce Agency/Small Business Development
Center.
>
>Funding: OES has initiated a budget change proposal for this
project. The
>proposal includes provisions for technical consultants and
pass through
>funds for local government that are interested and able to
implement the
>program within their jurisdiction.
>