(Air quality index > 100)
Response:
- During ash fall
- Stay Indoors until ash has settled
- If outside, seek shelter
- Use a mask, handkerchief or cloth to cover your nose and mouth
- Monitor local announcements for information on eruption/wildfire details
- Do not wear contact lenses as these will result in corneal abrasion
- If there is ash in your water, let it settle and then use the clear water. If there is a lot of ash in the water supply, do not use your dishwasher or washing machine. Water contaminated by ash will usually make drinking water unpalatable before it presents a health risk.
- Monitor health of animals
- Vehicles
- If possible, avoid driving
- If driving is crucial, then:
- Drive slowly
- Use headlights and ample windscreen fluid (Using wipers on dry ash may scratch the windscreen)
- Change oil and oil filters frequently, every 50-100 miles in heavy dust
- Clean wheel brake assemblies every 50-100 miles for very severe road conditions
- Change air filters frequently
Recovery:
- Clean-Up Precautions
- Always wear PPE (minimum of a dust mask or N95 and goggles)
- Lightly water down the ash deposits before they are removed by shoveling
- Be careful not to excessively wet the deposits on roofs, causing excess loading and danger of collapse
- Use extra precaution on ladders and roofs. The ash makes surfaces slippery
- Clean-Up Procedures
- Place the ash into heavy duty plastic bags
- Cut grass and hedges only after rain or light sprinkling and bag the clippings
- Ensure good ventilation while cleaning
- Vacuum surfaces before wiping as the fine grit ash will scratch most surfaces
- Use a wetting agent, damp rag
- Wash clothing in small batches after brushing away excess ash
- Use compressed air to clean computer, TV and radio equipment
- Replace air filters in vehicles and HVAC systems
- If pets go out, brush them before letting them indoors
- Seek advice from public officials regarding disposal of volcanic ash in your community
Mitigation:
- Conduct risk analysis of [College/School/Department name] outside operations
- Develop personnel safety threshold criteria for automatic protective actions implementation
- Develop incident safety threshold criteria for automatic cancellation or implementation of protective actions
- Review [College/School/Department name] poor air quality related incidents and their impact upon unit operations
Preparedness:
- Review work plan and poor air quality response criteria prior to outside work
- Know how to reach the nearest safe area for a hazardous air quality incident
- Obtain appropriate response equipment for ash related incidents
- Seasonally, review ash related information to better prepare for incidents