Emergency Response

Release notification requirements for releases of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF)

Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), a substance commonly used by firefighters, contains ethanol, 2-(2-butoxyethoxy) which is categorized as a glycol ether.  Glycol ethers meet the definition of hazardous substance in CERCLA 101(14) because they are hazardous air pollutants pursuant to 112(b) of the Clean Air Act.  In 1990, the Clean Air Amendments added 47 individual…...

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Responsibility for SDS Accuracy (EPCRA)

This once caught my eye after all the issues I have encountered with lame SDSs! Remember, these are the first line of information for responding agencies, and man, have they gone downhill over the years. With all the hype of how the GHS would improve the MSDSs of the old days, it has been a…...

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Spills onto concrete floors inside a building (EPCRA reporting)

A facility has a spill of an extremely hazardous substance in an amount greater than its reportable quantity.  The spill occurs on a concrete floor that is inside a facility building.  Before the spill can be cleaned up, a portion (less than RQ) of the EHS enters the outside atmosphere through the window.  Persons in…...

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Who must be notified of a release under Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)?

The notice required by section 304 of EPCRA is to be given by the owner or operator of a facility (by telephone, radio, or in person) immediately after the release of a CERCLA hazardous substance or of an EHS at or above the RQ. Notice is to be given to:… Membership Required You must be...

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Career Battalion Chief Dies from Explosion while Fighting Tractor Trailer Fire – Georgia (NIOSH Report)

It is being said that the fatal explosion that killed a 35-year-old battalion chief while operating at a tractor-trailer fire was a “smoke explosion.” The investigation continues, looking at other fuel sources, such as the foam insulation in the trailer. They have ruled out a BLEVE. A sample of rigid foam insulation from the trailer…...

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IL OSHA Provides Resource for Fire Departments

The Illinois Department of Labor’s (IDOL) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL OSHA), in collaboration with the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM), Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), Illinois Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA) and Mutual Aid Box Alarm System-Illinois (MABAS-Illinois) have developed a sample incident command, accountability, and mayday standard operating guideline…...

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Someone needs some HAZCOM and ER training

This video is a great example of two failures: 1) Hazardous Communications and 2) Emergency Response recognition. There is no way he should have walked into the spill, much less into the spray to stop the leak. That was gasoline—NOT diesel; even if it had been diesel, his actions were still out of line. We…...

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Two die of asphyxiation after rescuing unconscious worker from a lorry tank (Entrant Survives; Two Would-Be-Rescuers Die)

The owner (58) of an auto wash facility and a worker (54) died of suspected asphyxiation after the duo rescued another worker, who had fainted inside the empty chemical cargo tank of a lorry while cleaning it. According to the police, the tanker lorry driver (48) took the vehicle to the wash facility for cleaning…....

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Changing our fit-test methods requires an MOC

For decades, businesses have used the TSI Porta-Count QNFT method to fit test tight-fitting respirators. Today, new variations of this NIOSH-approved method (e.g., Condensation Nuclei Counter(CNC) are faster, and we have seen many organizations adopt these new methods. However, changing our Fit-Testing method may require an MOC. I say “may” as not all PSM processes…...

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Did we learn from the Stapleton Air Port Tank Farm Fire (1990)

Contributing to the severity and duration of the fire was the lack of storage tank fail-safe control valves and internal fire valves and the location of the control building in the containment area where fuel leaks are likely to occur. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the fire at the…...

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