I want to thank so many of you for your positive comments about last weeks newsletter. The traditional OSH news has been a bit slow in recent weeks, so I tried to offer some personal insights. One question that I got from several readers and we seem to get in most of our auditing work…...
From an EAP to an ERP??? Read More »
The Chlorine Institute’s Emergency Preparedness Issue Team has issued an updated CHLOREP Bulletin regarding application of the Emergency Kit C to Next Generation Tank Car fittings…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
CHLOREP NextGen Bulletin Read More »
Here are a few tips that will improve not only your compliance but also the overall efficiency of your emergency action plan. 1) ALWAYS have two muster/assembly areas (e.g., a primary and a secondary) on opposite ends of the facility 2) MARK/LABEL these areas accordingly so that it is noticeable to contractors, truck drivers, visitors…...
How strong is your headcount procedure? Read More »
If you are in a FD, on a HAZMAT team, in EHS at a facility with HHC’s that could have an offsite impact this is the BEST $5.99 you will ever spend. This app is GENIUS and just blows away the Green Tables in the 2008 DOT ERG. This app has the DOT ERG chemicals…...
Safety and Health Tip HAZMAT Evacuation iPhone App Read More »
Thoughts of Emergency Responder I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children at 3 AM, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen below you burns. I wish you could comprehend a…...
Thoughts of an Emergency Responder Read More »
In older facilities, we see illumination for an exit sign coming from an external source. Section 1013.6 of the IBC regulates the graphics, illumination, and emergency power supply for such signs. Although no particular color is specified for exit signs, it is REQUIRED that the color and design of the signs, the lettering, the arrows,…...
Externally vs. Internally illuminated EXIT signs Read More »
OSHA’s standards for general industry and the construction industry on hazardous waste operations and emergency response (29 CFR 1910.120 or 29 CFR 1926.65) cover all employees involved in: Clean-up operations of hazardous substances at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites required by Federal, state, local or other governments; Corrective actions involving clean-up procedures at sites covered by…...
Understanding OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard for Emergency Response Read More »
HAZWOPER EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES(Elements of an Emergency Response Plan)1910.120(q)(2) (i) Pre-emergency Planning and Coordination with outside parties Facilities are required in the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) title III to coordinate their activities with outside response organizations and emergency response organizations. The emergency response plan (ERP) MUST address coordination with outside emergency…...
Breaking down 1910.120(q)(2) Written ERP requirements Read More »
The EPA’s Risk Management Plan (RMP) rule was the first time many EHS professionals had ever heard of Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs). That was 1999, and still today 2007 there are many EHS professionals outside the PSM/RMP arena who still have not heard of ERPG’s. This article is an attempt to explain what they…...
What are Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs)? Read More »
Emergency response personnel may have never heard the acronym AEGL, but that doesn’t mean it does not play a major role in the decision making process at almost all emergency responses to hazardous materials. AEGL’s and ERPG’s are the most widely used exposure guidelines in emergency responses to hazardous materials. In fact, did you know…...
What are Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs)? Read More »
Temporary Emergency Exposure Limits (TEELs) are guidelines designed to predict the response of members of the general public to different concentrations of a chemical during an emergency response incident. Note: TEEL values are NO longer included specifically in ALOHA, see PACs. TEELs estimate the concentrations at which most people will begin to experience health effects if they are exposed to a…...
What are Temporary Emergency Exposure Limits (TEELs)? Read More »
Protective Action Criteria for Chemicals (PACs) dataset is a hierarchy-based system of the three common public exposure guideline systems: AEGLs, ERPGs, and TEELs. A particular hazardous substance may have values in any or all of these systems. The PACs dataset implements the following hierarchy when choosing which values to use for the PACs: Final, 60-minute AEGL values Interim, 60-minute AEGL values…...
What are Protective Action Criteria for Chemicals (PACs)? Read More »
