Emergency Response

On July 11, 1996 a member of the Roxbury Township, Morris County, Fire Department, Firefighter Paul Label, age 29, was in the process of recharging an aluminum 2216 psi SCBA cylinder from the department’s cascade system at about 2038 hours, when it failed catastrophically resulting in serious injuries to Mr. Label. On October 8, 1996…...

A new version of CAMEOfm is now available.  If you’re upgrading to CAMEOfm 3.5 from a previous version of CAMEOfm, follow the instructions in the guidance document (provided on the download page) to ensure that you don’t lose your current data. What’s changed in CAMEOfm 3.5?… Membership Required You must be a member to access this...

The reportable quantity (RQ) that triggers emergency release notification (Section 304) was developed as a quantity that when released, poses a potential threat to human health and the environment. The RQs were developed using several criteria, including aquatic toxicity, mammalian toxicity, ignitability, reactivity, chronic toxicity, potential carcinogenicity, biodegradation, hydrolysis, and photolysis (50 FR 13468, April…...

The definition of a “hazardous chemica” l under OSHA HCS includes “combustible dusts”. So, if the facility accumulates 10,000 lbs of dusts at any one time, it is reportable under Sections 311 and 312.  Facilities may want to consult FDA regulations to determine if certain food dusts would be covered under their regulations as food or…...

For those of us in the process safety arena, we hear about “pre-planning” almost daily (or maybe we should hear it that often!).  But when we actually start looking into what “preplanning” looks like, most facilities are lost at what they should be doing.  Once again, I turn to the International Fire Code (IFC) to…...

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At all times relevant to this Complaint, Respondent owned and operated buildings, structures, installations, equipment, pipes or pipelines, and storage containers, located on a single site or on contiguous or adjacent locations, where it deposited, stored, disposed of,  or placed, Ammonia CAS# 7664-41-7.  Ammonia CAS# 7664-41-7 was a “hazardous substance” as that term was defined…...

The Department of Energy has a little-known database that is a goldmine for emergency planners and responders.  This database is called the Protective Action Criteria for Chemicals (PACs), and it uses a hierarchy-based system of the three (3) exposure guideline systems:  Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs), and Temporary Emergency Exposure…...

OSHA currently regulates aspects of emergency response and preparedness; some of these standards were promulgated decades ago, and none were designed as comprehensive emergency response standards.  Consequently, they do not address the full range of hazards or concerns currently facing emergency responders, nor do they reflect significant changes in performance specifications for protective clothing and…...