The consequences of a lack of control when using chemical substances in the workplace are well known and apparent. Any health and safety expert can tell you of at least one major accident whereby poor chemical management policies and procedures have lead to disaster. Examples include Bhopal, Grangemouth, Flixborough, Seveso and more recently, Buncefield. Major accidents like ...
Today most large organizations that must deal with hazardous materials follow a time-honored process for identifying critical compliance needs and spend the money necessary to make it work. However, committing this level of resources can be tough for smaller companies. The challenge is to effectively manage their entire chemical inventory to stay in compliance and avoid the dangers, fines and ...
The environmental profession has historically relied on “lagging” indicators (i.e., indicators that follow an event, such as a spill or a notice of violation) as the primary means of assessing and managing environmental performance. But what if we instead focused on “leading” indicators, that is, upstream factors that could aid in the prevention of an environmental incident? There is ample ...
EH&S plays a vital role in business, but its presence doesn’t mean the workplace is full of numerous hazards waiting to pounce on employees at every turn. Thankfully, most incidents that take place are usually insignificant. Luckily, they’re rare, too, and when something does go wrong it usually results in a minor injury that can be treated ...
The first step in working safely around hazardous materials should always be a hazard assessment review. The OSHA standard mandates companies must conduct a hazard assessment to identify the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and properly train employees on how to use it. OSHA compliance officers will review written hazard assessments for completeness and accuracy. In the case of ...
Prior to the 1970s, legislative acts addressing hazardous chemicals were few in number and specific to a handful of topics. The Refuse Act of 1899 was often ignored and rarely enforced, and the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 was exclusive to radioactive material. When it came to workplace and community safety involving the handling, storage, disposal, and transportation of hazardous materials, ...
Much public concern is raised on hazardous material bulk storages at vulnerable locations that cater the requirements of basic industries. This concern has grown into serious proportions after the ‘Bhopal’ incident. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, history’s worst chemical accident, occurred in the night on 2nd Dec, 1984 at the Union Carbide Pesticides Plant in Bhopal, India. Around 27 MT of deadly ...
The “Fatal Four” of construction are falls, electrocutions, workers being caught in or between objects, and worker being struck by objects. In the United States, these hazards consistently account for over 50% of construction worker deaths annually. This translates into the deaths of over 899 workers on a yearly basis. In our four part blog post series, we will examine each hazard and ...
The “Fatal Four” of construction are falls, electrocutions, workers being caught in or between objects, and worker being struck by objects. In the United States, these hazards consistently account for over 50% of construction worker deaths annually. This translates into the deaths of over 899 workers on a yearly basis. In our four part blog post series, we will examine each hazard and ...
Duke Energy, which is poised to become the largest utility in the United States1, is widely recognized as a leader in addressing a broad array of environmental, health and safety (EHS) compliance and sustainability challenges. One major step in delivering on the company’s strategic vision for EHS management excellence began in 2007 when Duke Energy identified four objectives as key to its ...
In the wake of recent tragic and highly publicized dust explosions, companies are asking, 'Could that happen here?' and 'What can I do to prevent such an incident at my facility?' One approach is to manage dust explosion hazards as though they were subject to OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements (29 CFR 1910.119), even though dust hazards often are not covered under this ...
What’s at Stake If you and your buddies were facing a dangerous, deceptive enemy, you’d want to find out all you could about it and share any information you come up with. The fact is you do have such a treacherous enemy - the workplace hazard. What’s the Danger An unnoticed hazard can take your life in an instant, or cause you a lifetime of ...
This week we continue to explore the themes being highlighted in 2016’s National Safety Month. Every June the National Safety Council (NSC) encourages us to raise health and safety awareness throughout our lives. Last week we talked about how “Safety Smart” employers can ...
ABSTRACT FAST-ACT is a proprietary formulation of non-toxic high-performance specialty materials effective at neutralizing a wide range of toxic chemicals with the added capability to destroy chemical warfare agents. The FAST-ACT formulation is non-flammable, non-corrosive, and significantly reduces both liquid and vapor hazards. Since the dry powder neutralizes threats upon contact, on-site ...
In the absence of a federal U.S. policy for schools located near potentially dangerous sites, community activists search for safer solutions. On April 17, 2013, an explosion and fire at the West Fertilizer Company plant in West, Texas, killed 15 people and injured hundreds. It also destroyed more than 150 buildings around the plant. Among these were the West Intermediate School for 4th and ...
Chiron Corporation is one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies with businesses in biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and blood testing. In addition to manufacturing facilities, Chiron has an extensive research and development organization, which works with chemicals and radioactive materials. Under Federal, State and Local regulations, as well as corporate operating ...
Untitled Document As the annual onslaught of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms continues to plague fresh water lakes and reservoirs, the use of copper sulfate to control the problem has ...
ABSTRACTInterest continues to grow in heat drying as a means of processing biosolids into an aesthetically pleasing product form with multiple use opportunities, while also achieving a significant reduction in both volume and weight of biosolids for off-site hauling. As the number of heat drying installations increase, so too do reports of safety incidents—an indication that Owners and facility ...