Not a question we must know the answer to in order to be safe, but one that an old emergency responder ponders and now we know… The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines an immediately dangerous to life or health condition as a situation “that poses a threat of exposure to airborne […]
This year’s active hurricane and fire seasons highlight the importance of working together before, during, and after disasters of all types and sizes. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a standard, nationwide approach to enable the whole community to work together to manage all threats and hazards. FEMA has released the refreshed NIMS to
As almost everyone has felt the financial squeeze at some point during their career and we seem to be feeling it more and more these days. As auditors that travel the world, we are still seeing the negative ripple effects of the 2009/2010 recession in the United States in 2017 and probably will continue to
This fatal anhydrous ammonia accident occurred in March 2016 at a seafood processing plant in Boston, MA. The Boston Fire Department (BFD) is one of the top fire departments in the United States. These radio communications are being shared as a “learning opportunity” for SAFTENG members. Not only is the radio traffic telling by the
Once again I turn to the professionals up North to provide us with some great information. Transport Canada has once again done an excellent job explaining the difference between a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) and a Heat-Induced Tear (HIT) type explosion. So often when we see the large fireball, we will call the
This video is interesting on many levels and since it occurred outside of the USA I am not sure about any regulatory issues in the home country, but if this were in the USA we can see a number of issues. However, this video shows us the conditions under which we might respond to an ammonia
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced it has issued a special permit to authorize the extension of the 15-year service life of certain carbon fiber reinforced aluminum-lined cylinders (DOT-CFFC) that are used in self-contained breathing apparatuses by fire departments and first responders.
I like to start out my 8-hr Emergency Management course with an exercise that demonstrates the vast differences in how a public FD plans for emergencies and how an industrial business should be planning. Many do not realize the vast differences in how these two entities differ when it comes to emergency planning and response.
Last week was the anniversary of the anhydrous ammonia truck accident in Houston back in 1976 and out of that incident came what we call “Shelter-in-Place”. About 11:08 a.m., on 11 May 1976, a Transport Company of Texas MC 331 tractor-semi trailer transporting 7,509 gallons of anhydrous ammonia struck and penetrated a bridge rail on
OSHA has two (2) significant LOIs, both aligning, and their HAZWOPER CPL that do a really good job of explaining how one crosses over from PSM SOP actions to actions that would fall under the definition of an “emergency response”, thus moving compliance from 1910.119 to 1910.120. I have presented both of these LOIs and
In my Process Safety, HAZMAT, and Emergency Response course, I always walk the students through an exercise to demonstrate just how dangerous chemicals such as Cl2 and NH3 are. So many have come to believe that these chemicals are hazardous only when we exceed the OSHA/EPA Thresholds for PSM/RMP. In a 40 ft × 40
In my Process Safety, HAZMAT, and Emergency Response course, I always walk the students through an exercise to demonstrate just how dangerous chemicals such as Cl2 and NH3 are. So many have come to think that these chemicals are only hazardous when we exceed the OSHA/EPA Thresholds for PSM/RMP. In a space that is 40
