CONTAMINATION CONTROL AREA/ DECONTAMINATION STATION

A contamination control area is a space about 8 feet by 8 feet designated for use by personnel who are leaving a contaminated outside deck and entering uncontaminated or decontaminated parts of the ship. These areas will usually include a personnel decontamination (decon) station for personnel who have been exposed to chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants. These areas should not be located deep inside the ship; contaminated personnel would have to pass through uncontaminated areas to get to the decon stations. Instead, these areas should be located

as near as possible to the skin of the ship and at the weather deck. If an inside space is not available, a covered outside space can be used. These areas should also be convenient to showers that must be used in the decon process. Washrooms may be used as showers if salt water and freshwater showers have been installed in them.

Contamination Control Areas

Each contamination control area should be under the supervision of a repair party leader assisted by two HT operators and one medical corpsman, or the equivalent number of training personnel. Each area should have the following supplies: . Eight 8-ounce bottles of high test

hypochlorite (HTH), two 5 gallon pails, two 2-inch by 2-inch by 6-inch metal or plastic trays, two standard deck brushes with handles, six pair of standard corpsman shears, about 1 gallon of laundry detergent, and six 30-gallon capacity plastic bags with ties . Thirty M258A1 personnel decon kits . One M256 vapor detector kit, some M8

and M9 detector paper, and one chemical agent monitor

When the stand down order is given, the contamination control area manning team in full mission oriented protective posture (MOPP) will monitor and decontaminate the contamination control area spaces (MOPP is covered later in this chapter). If liquid contamination is suspected, they will clean the spaces with a 9 percent solution of HTH in salt water. They will follow this with detergent scrubbing and a salt water rinse. When decontamination of the contamination control area is complete, the repair party leader will supervise the flow of exposed personnel through the decon station.

Decontamination Station

A decontamination (decon) station should be about 8 feet by 8 feet. It should have an entrance from the outside, and an exit into an uncontaminated area near showers. If you have been exposed to contamination, you should use the following decontamination procedures. Do not

remove your gas mask until a monitor tells you it is safe to do so.

1. Remove raingear and battle dress just outside the decon station. Trash cans, bags, or other storage will be provided for this purpose. At this time you will be monitored to see if you are contaminated. If you are not contaminated, you will be directed to enter uncontaminated spaces through another route. If you are contaminated, you will be sent through the process described in paragraph 2 through 6 below.

2. Enter the first part of the decon station in pairs. Use the buddy system to do gross decon of masks and gloves with the M258A1 personnel decon kits. Decon boots by immersing them in the 2-foot by 2-foot by 6-inch pans filled with a 9 percent HTH and water solution.

3. Move to the second part of the decon station where attendants will cut away your smock and help remove your trousers and boots. The contaminated clothing will be placed in trash bags for disposal.

4. Move to the showers, soap and wash your entire body thoroughly, and rinse well. Pay special attention to fingernails, hairy parts of the body, and hidden parts where contamination tends to concentrate.

5. You are now ready to enter the clean part of the ship where you will put on new clothing. Before you enter the clean part, a monitor with

a low range radiac will check to ensure that you no longer carry contamination. Turn over your DT-60 dosimeter to this monitor, who will take the readings and enter them in the log. You will be told at this time if you can remove your gas mask.