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Changes Coming for NFPA 472—
Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/WMD Incidents (2018) National consensus standards, such as NFPA 472, drive the operations and levels of training for all hazmat operators in the nation. The standards can be adopted whole or in part by local jurisdictions. Failure to adopt these standards does not exempt the local jurisdiction from compliance. The measure of any response agency is how well they operate in compliance with national standards. Failure to operate as per what is accepted and agreed upon by the nation’s response community is where liability is assumed should something go wrong. NFPA standards can be enforced using OSHA’s “General Duty Clause,” which states that the jurisdiction has a “general duty” to keep responders safe through compliance with recognized consensus standards.
The national 472 standard is the basis of Utah certifications. In May 2008, the Utah Hazmat Advisory Council adopted through State Rule R710-12 the requirement that “No person shall provide hazardous materials services as a member of an emergency response agency without first receiving a certificate issued by… the Utah Fire Service Certification Council” (5.1). Thus, NFPA 472 should be followed by every Utah emergency response agency. NFPA 472, 1072, and 475—Standards in Concert NFPA 472 is the parent standard for NFPA 1072, which is the professional qualification standard for Hazmat/WMD responders. NFPA 472 is used to train
Hazmat Technicians from the Montana 83rd CST prepare to stop a leak in a simulated ton cylinder. photograph by Andy Byrnes, 2016
10 | UFRA Straight Tip
responders, where NFPA 1072 is used to certify responders using general and requisite knowledge and skills. These requisites are sometimes called “Job Performance Requirements” or JPRs. A third standard, NFPA 475, works together with NFPA 472 and 1072. This standard, entitled “Recommended Practices for Responding to Hazardous Materials/WMD,” establishes a common set of criteria for the organization, management, and deployment of personnel, resources, and programs for both private and public hazmat response agencies. As a “recommended practice,” not a standard, NFPA 475 contains “shoulds” not “shalls.” All three of these publications work in concert to provide a jurisdiction