The dumping of hazardous waste poses a significant threat to the environment. In 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) managed about 277 million metric tons of hazardous waste at licensed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act sites. Hazardous waste--discarded chemicals that are toxic, flammable, or corrosive–-must be properly treated, stored, and disposed of or it could continue to do great harm to all living things that come into contact with it now or in the future. State, county, and municipal employees such as police, ambulance workers, and firefighters with local fire departments are covered by the regulations issued by the 25 States operating their own OSHA-approved safety and health programs. EPA regulations based on OSHA’s standard cover the employees in States without State plans. The OSHA standard requires each employer to develop and implement a written safety and health program that identifies, evaluates, and controls safety and health hazards and provides emergency response procedures for each hazardous waste site for treatment, storage, and disposal facility. This written program must be periodically updated and made available to all affected employees, contractors, and subcontractors. The components include a workplan, site evaluation and control, site-specific safety and health plan, information and training program, personal protective equipment program, monitoring, medical surveillance, decontamination procedures, and emergency response. Engineering controls and work practices, handling and labeling drums and containers, and sanitation of temporary workplaces are other provisions to plan. Direct access to safety and health records must be provided to employees exposed to hazardous materials. Directory