We should be doing MONTHLY inspections on our LEVEL A suits (regardless of manufacturer) and this month, those of us who use DuPont Tychem® Level A suits will need to take some special actions due to a change that DuPont implemented several years ago. Effective September 1, 2013, DuPont transitioned to Pirelli valves for all…...
Your LEVEL A suit valves may need some extra attention this month Read More »
In the last couple of years we have come across a vicious and BADLY MISLEADING rumor that some facilities have fallen for and thus they have fallen out of compliance with OSHA/NIOSH/DOT in regards to their SCBA Cylinders. FACT: There are studies that have been done by the U.S. Navy and PHMSA that demonsrate 15-year…...
Fit testing is an ABSOLUTE CRITICAL path in our Respiratory Protection Program; therefore, ensuring it is done CORRECTLY and ACCURATELY is a must. Over the past two years (2018-2019) we have seen nine (9) facilities where they had done their quantitative fit testing; however, upon closer examination of the results of the tests, we found…...
Attention to details matters when working in IDLH atmospheres Read More »
I found this NFA pre-course reading material from way back when I started my business and had a contract with a national organization for HAZMAT Specialist. As many of you know I have been in the ER field since the late 1980’s and then spent 16 years in petrochemical and semi-conductor industries as a safety engineer/manager…...
Chemistry of Hazardous Materials Pre-course Reading Read More »
I found this NFA pre-course reading material from way back when I started my business and had a contract with a national organization for HAZMAT Specialist. As many of you know I have been in the ER field since the late 1980’s and then spent 16 years in petrochemical and semi-conductor industries as a safety engineer/manager…...
Chemistry of Hazardous Materials Pre-course Reading Read More »
This is an excellent resource for Emergency Responders and Process Safety practioners that explains the design, typical contents of, and traits for us to idnetify the type of container. This should be known by ALL HAZMAT Technicians and for those who are new to Process Safety, it may prove to be helpful in explaining the…...
Silhouettes of Rail Cars, Tank Trucks and Chemical Tanks Read More »
This is an excellent resource for Emergency Responders and Process Safety practioners that explains the design, typical contents of, and traits for us to idnetify the type of container. This should be known by ALL HAZMAT Technicians and for those who are new to Process Safety, it may prove to be helpful in explaining the…...
Silhouettes of Rail Cars, Tank Trucks and Chemical Tanks Read More »
There are very, and I mean like I can can the number of audits on one hand, rare that we do a compliance audit and not have a 1910.157 finding. And the kicker of it… OSHA gives employers options on how they manage their use of fire extinguishers. Bottom line… OSHA does NOT require that…...
Does OSHA require a facility to have fire extinguishers? Read More »
AED’s have become extremely popular in the past decade; they are in just about all public places like airports, government buildings, and many private businesses. These devices require little to no official training, as the device’s computer walks the user through the entire process of saving a life. But these devices do NOT last forever! …...
Automated External Defibrillator (AED) inspection and maintenance Read More »
On June 24, 2018, a 33-year-old male career part-time fire fighter (Fire Fighter 2) died after being struck in the head by a pressurized compressed-air self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) cylinder. Fire Fighter 2 was working his regular shift at Station 22 and was assisting Fire Fighter 1 and an off-duty captain with the inspection…...
The dangers of handling breathing air cylinders (FACE #F2018-10) Read More »
This document is a gem to have if you’re in a role that requires the use of multi-gas detectors such as those used for entry into permit-required confined spaces and check an area before Hot Work begins. It has been around since 2016 and I have used the information in it for years in my…...
Handheld Multi-Gas Detectors Application Note (DHS and Sandia National Laboratories) Read More »
Question: Would you/Do you permit 2-way radios, and their attachments, that do NOT carry a rating for HAZLOCs (Class I, Div 1/2) to be used inside a Level A suit? Recently I was asked to help a client in the great state of NM with their emergency response capabilities. Our first step was to assess their…...
Preplanning with your local Fire Department and intrinsically safe radios Read More »
