Emergency Response

Defining and Quantifying “incidental releases” and ones requiring an “emergency response”

This is a perfect (and sad) example of why releases of hazardous materials need to be DEFINED and QUANTIFIED so that personnel know their LIMITATIONS in responding to said releases. This exercise is part of our PRE-PLANNING, starting with using the Tier II forms we submit each year. Just understand, the Tier II forms are…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Cell Phones in the workplace… just a bad idea!

On the evening of Christmas Eve, the Jackson Fire Department was alerted to a worker trapped inside a hopper at a local factory. Jackson Police Department, Jackson County EMS, Jackson Sheriff’s Office, Liberty Fire, and Jackson Fire units, including Jackson’s Rescue, Tower, and two engines, responded to the scene. The worker was attempting to retrieve…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The NTSB releases a preliminary report on the NH3 release from a tanker in OK on 11/12/25

This information is preliminary and subject to change.​​ ​On November 12, 2025, about 9:16 p.m. local time, a cargo tank transporting Anhydrous Ammonia experienced a leak while parked in Weatherford, Oklahoma. The driver had stopped at a Holiday Inn Express and Suites for the evening when he noticed the manway cover underneath the cargo tank…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

UPDATE on OK NH3 leak from Tanker (Pics)

Supposedly, the liquid leak was from a failed gasket (as stated by an EPA official earlier this week). But now we have been told the gasket was on a 12” manway on the bottom of the tanker as shown below. The pictures were taken at the time of the release and appear to show what…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Idaho National Laboratory online interactive Periodic Table

I am not a fan of “government”, but I am a fan of so many of the workers within our government. They can do some fantastic work. Take this latest and greatest tool for Chemical Safety, for example. This is just too “cool,” and if you are into HAZMATs or Chemical Safety, this is a…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Mexico City NG Gas Explosion

A truck carrying Natural Gas (called “pipas”) wrecked and leaked the gas, which then found an ignition source. (See video below) The explosion killed at least six (6) people and left 90 injured. Ten (10) have been discharged as of Wednesday morning. Footage of the aftermath showed some victims with severe burns across their bodies…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The real role of the “buddy system” in OSHA/EPA’s HAZWOPER

Almost everyone involved in emergency response is aware of the “buddy system” (e.g., 2 in-2 out rule); however, many merely treat this as a “check box” approach as compared to having real rescue capabilities for the entry team. I always ask my students if they believe they could lift and carry a grown adult in…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

PRCS Fatalities (Sewer, H2S, 1 entrant and 3 “would-be rescuers”)

Manhole workers likely died from hydrogen sulfide poisoning, asphyxiation. The male workers, all in their 50s, were inspecting a sewage pipe in Gyoda City on Saturday. Police say they believe one of them fell in first, and the rest followed while trying to rescue him. All of them were later confirmed dead…. Membership Required You...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

What does an RMP $10M SEP look like?

The SEP will provide the emergency response equipment to the identified emergency response organizations to assist them in responding to emergencies in the communities where the Covered Refineries operate and where chemical processes are undertaken that the CAA regulates. XXXXX is obligated to expend Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000), which includes all administrative costs associated with…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

A look inside an EPA Consent Decree for HAZWOPER

I still do about a dozen 24 or 40-hr HAZMAT Tech courses and dozens of 8-hr Refreshers each year. And in each class, it never fails that someone will ask the question… Does OSHA/EPA actually require that? Backstory: I’ve been on the ERT for 20 years, and this is the first time I’ve heard this…....

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here
Scroll to Top