The new video titled, “Emergency Preparedness: Findings from CSB Accident Investigations,” uses computer animations, interviews, and news footage to depict a series of chemical accidents that illustrate the need for effective training, communications, and community planning. In some incidents, firefighters and police were overcome by toxic chemicals and forced to retreat from neighborhoods; in others, firefighters and workers were tragically killed and others injured.
In the video, CSB Chairman John Bresland notes, “Preparations by companies, emergency responders, government authorities, and the public are critical to reducing injuries and saving lives. It’s not only important to be prepared, but everyone must communicate, have an up-to-date plan in place and practice that plan regularly. We hope that our findings will help keep communities safe.”
In addition to comments by CSB investigators and board members, the video features observations by fire chiefs, a state fire marshal, and an expert on emergency preparedness and local emergency planning.
The Fire Chief of Danvers, Massachusetts, James P. Tutko, who led the effort to battle a massive fire and explosion at an ink plant in 2006, and oversaw the community evacuation, said he recommends “Emergency Preparedness” as well as other CSB safety videos. “I can recommend CSB safety videos for their content and accuracy. They can be used for all aspects of emergency response training,” Chief Tutko said, adding, “Don’t wait for an accident in your jurisdiction to learn about the CSB’s findings.”
The video begins with an animation of a boiling liquid expansion vapor explosion, or BLEVE, in a large propane tank that killed two firefighters and injured seven others in a 1998 accident in Albert City, Iowa. The firefighters had not received accurate training or guidance on BLEVE hazards and approached within 100 feet of the burning tank when it suddenly blew apart.
“The Herrig Brothers farm explosion animation provides a tragic but important starting point for the video,” said Board Member William Wark. “Every day firefighters face challenges like these and sadly, sometimes lose their lives. We hope the video will make the case that training and communication are critical so that responders can do their jobs without death or injury.”
Another propane explosion seen in the video—which destroyed a convenience store and killed two propane service technicians, a volunteer fire captain, and an EMT in Ghent, West Virginia—shows the need for training to rapidly evacuate such danger zones. West Virginia State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis states in the video, “We take a vow to protect life and property. Life comes first.” Commenting on the video’s central them, Fire Marshal Lewis said, “We must train until it becomes second nature. We must educate ourselves and the public to the point we can help each other.”
The Fire Chief of Apex, North Carolina, Mark Haraway, whose department is depicted in the video as battling a “worst case scenario” due to a lack of information from a hazardous waste facility that caught fire in 2006, said, “I recommend this and other CSB safety videos for the training opportunities they provide.”
Other accidents highlighted in “Emergency Preparedness” include an allyl alcohol toxic chemical release in Dalton, Georgia; chlorine releases in Festus, Missouri, and Glendale, Arizona; a reactive chemical explosion in Jacksonville, Florida; and a recent reactive chemical explosion and community evacuation in Institute, West Virginia.
Timothy Gablehouse, a preparedness expert who appears in the video as president of the National Association of SARA Title III Program Officials (NASTTPO) and a member of the Colorado Emergency Planning Commission, said, “The CSB has done us all a great favor by compiling many of their investigation findings into a crisp and clear lessons learned message—a great reminder for us all.”
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency’s board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
Environmental Resource Center’s Webcasts Go Greener
Throughout that period, thousands of handbooks were shipped worldwide, consuming millions of pages of paper, and countless gallons of fuel. Beginning July 1, course materials for most Environmental Resource Center webcasts will be delivered electronically, which will further reduce the environmental impact of online training.
With handbooks for some courses exceeding 1,000 pages, the new e-books, will not only save paper and fuel, they will be much easier to search. However, for those who love the touch and feel of paper, bound versions of the book will be available for a nominal fee. One year of free handbook updates will continue to be offered for both the electronic and bound handbooks.
A bound version of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations will continue to be provided with both the online and face-to-face IATA training.
Cal/OSHA Seeks Adoption of Emergency Amendments to the Heat Illness Prevention Standard
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) in conjunction with its Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, has requested that the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board () adopt emergency amendments to the current heat illness prevention standard, section 3395 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.
“We are now in our fourth year of enforcing this standard, which was enacted to protect outdoor employees from the hazard of heat illness,” said DIR Director John C. Duncan. “We have found from our enforcement activities that there is a need for the standard to be clarified so that more employers will comply fully and effectively with its provisions.”
Cal/OSHA enforcement statistics collected from the brief periods of hot weather experienced in the state this year have demonstrated that substantive changes to clarify the regulation are necessary to ensure that employers have the guidance they need to protect employees working outdoors from exposure to heat.
Public awareness of the heat illness prevention regulations has increased as a result of education and outreach efforts by Cal/OSHA in partnership with labor, industry and community partners. However, Cal/OSHA is requesting that the OSHSB adopt the emergency amendments to the standard in order to bring more specificity and enforceability to the standard.
The proposed amendment will:
- Clarify the provisions that govern when and how to provide shade, drinking water, and employee training,
- Add tiered procedures to be followed when temperatures are above 85 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit,
- Add related requirements to implement feasible and effective measures for the protection of employees working outdoors, and
- Eliminate the definition of “preventative recovery period.”
“Although most employers of outdoor worksites are now on board with the need to provide safeguards to their workers, some employers still fail to comply,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Len Welsh. “Last month in a two week period we required eight employers to cease their operations because their failure to provide the most basic protection to their workers from heat far in excess of 90 degrees exposed them to an imminent hazard.”
A public hearing to discuss the proposed amendment to the heat illness prevention regulation, Section 3395 of the Title 8 California Code of Regulations has been scheduled by the OSHSB to take place at their next meeting on June 18 in Oakland.
If the emergency amendments are adopted, they will be sent to the State Office of Administrative Law for approval and then to the Secretary of State for filing. A 120 day standard rulemaking process will follow to develop permanent amendments to the heat illness prevention regulations.
In July 2006, the heat illness prevention regulation became permanent, making California the first state in the nation to adopt a comprehensive heat illness prevention standard for outdoor workers.
Employees with work-related questions or complaints, including heat illness, may call the California Workers’ Information Hotline at 1-866-924-9757.
Avoid Heat Stress on the Job
The stress of working in hot weather is a concern for many as summer approaches. For the thousands of workers exposed to the oftentimes lethal combination of heat, humidity, and physical labor, a few precautions can go a long way to preventing many heat-related injuries or deaths.
OSHA Seeking Nominations for National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health
Nominations will be accepted for representatives in the following categories: public, management, labor, occupational safety and occupational health. Members will serve a two-year term.
If submitting nominations by mail, hand delivery or messenger service, send three copies to the OSHA Docket Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210; telephone 202-693-2350.
All nominations for NACOSH must include the agency name and docket number, OSHA-2009-0012. Nominations must be submitted no later than July 11, 2009.
NACOSH was established under section 7(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to advise the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on matters relating to the administration of the Act.
OSHA Proposes $255,000 Fine for 60 Safety and Health Hazards
OSHA has proposed $255,150 in fines against Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc. for 60 alleged violations of safety and health standards identified during the agency’s inspections of the firearms manufacturer’s Newport, New Hampshire, plant conducted between November 2008 and May 2009.
“Our inspections identified a large number of mechanical, respirator protection, electrical, lead, fire, explosive, and other hazards that must be effectively and continuously addressed to protect the workers at this plant from potentially deadly or disabling injuries and illnesses now and in the future,” said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA’s area director in New Hampshire.
OSHA found that the company failed to guard rotating parts on drill presses, sanding and polishing machines despite its knowledge that employees were exposed to severe or fatal injuries if they came in contact with the rotating parts. As a result, OSHA has issued the company one willful citation with $63,000 in proposed fines. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
Additional safety hazards include the lack of spark detectors or suppression systems to minimize fire and explosion hazards in ventilation systems that collect combustible wood and metal dust; allowing combustible dust to accumulate; unguarded floors and platforms; lack of eyewashes and adequate personal protective equipment; inadequate procedures, equipment and training to lock out machines’ power sources; improper storage of compressed gas cylinders; damaged, improperly used or ungrounded electrical equipment; additional unguarded machinery; and deficiencies with paint spray booths, confined space rescue, compressed air, forklifts, and the transfer of flammable liquids.
The health inspection identified employees exposed to excess levels of lead dust; inadequate lead monitoring, training, hygiene, cleaning and disposal methods; inappropriate selection of respirators for lead; improper respirator fit-testing and use; no medical evaluations for employees using respirators; no refitting and retraining for employees who experienced a hearing threshold shift; and unlabeled containers of hazardous chemicals.
These conditions resulted in the issuance of 55 serious citations with $188,550 in fines. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
The company also has been fined $3,600 and issued four other-than-serious citations for inadequate recordkeeping.
Paper Mill Fined $107,000 for 29 Violations
OSHA has cited paper manufacturer Domtar Maine Corp. for 29 alleged serious violations of safety standards at its Baileyville, Maine, pulp mill and proposed a total of $107,000 in penalties.
“The conditions identified during this inspection must be addressed completely and effectively,” said William Coffin, OSHA’s area director for Maine. “Otherwise, anyone working in this mill in the future could be exposed to crushing hazards, falls, electrocution, being caught in moving machine parts, being overcome in a toxic or oxygen-deficient confined space, or being unable to safely exit the mill in an emergency.”
The citations and fines encompass a cross-section of hazardous conditions found during an OSHA inspection opened on November 30, 2008. These included numerous instances of unguarded moving machine parts; electrical hazards; fall hazards; an unmarked exit door and inadequately lit exit routes; confined space hazards; unsanitary eyewash facilities; work areas not maintained in clean and orderly condition; and no assessment of the workplace to determine what personal protective equipment workers would need.
In addition, employees were exposed to crushing, struck-by and other hazards from unenclosed counterweights on a conveyor and an improperly maintained conveyor emergency stop cable.
OSHA Proposes $105,000 in Penalties Against Orlando Manufacturer for Serious and Repeat
OSHA is proposing $105,000 in penalties against Trussway Ltd.’s Orlando, Florida, plant. An OSHA inspection in December 2008 revealed three repeat, nine serious, and seven other-than-serious violations of OSHA standards.
The three repeat violations with $70,000 in proposed fines address hazards associated with improperly guarded radial arm saws; radial arm saws extending past the table edge; and a radial arm saw not returning to its starting position when the handle was released. OSHA cited the company’s Acworth, Georgia, plant in 2007 for failing to adequately guard the radial saw blades, and it cited the Chandler, Arizona, plant in 2006 for the other two hazards.
The nine serious violations, carrying $35,000 in proposed penalties, address hazards associated with hearing conservation, lockout/tagout of accidental energy start-up, machine guarding, electricity and hazard communication.
The other-than-serious violations address OSHA recordkeeping, personal protective equipment, respiratory protection and lockout/tagout. The agency determined that neither death nor serious physical harm was likely to result from these hazards, so no monetary penalties have been proposed, but the company is required to make the required changes to bring it into compliance with OSHA standards.
“The penalties being proposed are larger because the company had been warned of these violations at two of its locations but chose not to make the needed corrections at all of its plants,” said Les Grove, OSHA’s area director in Tampa. “We expect companies to be proactive toward worker safety and not wait for an OSHA inspection before coming into compliance.”
OSHA Fines ATI Engineered Products $74,000 Following Worker’s Fatal Exposure to Hydrogen Sulfite
OSHA has cited ATI Engineered Products for safety violations following a worker’s fatal exposure to hydrogen sulfite last December. The agency is proposing a repeat violation with a $12,500 penalty after it found the process vessels not properly labeled. The company has been cited for a similar violation following a 2007 inspection at its sister plant in Gurley, Alabama.
The Huntsville, Alabama, company is also being cited for 13 serious violations with proposed penalties of $61,500. Serious violations include failure to install hydrogen sulfite monitors and a lack of training for employees who handle hazardous chemicals which were related to the fatality. Additionally, deficiencies were found with regard to respiratory protection, confined space, and lockout/tagout programs. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
“OSHA is serious about safety, and we expect employers to take safety seriously as well,” said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA’s area director in Birmingham. “This employer has been fined by OSHA in the past for numerous violations of the OSHA standards but continues to place his employees in danger.”
Health Risks Begin in Overweight Range, BMI Doesn’t Tell Whole Story
About one-third of the U.S. population is overweight—the middle range between normal weight and obesity. Overweight in adults is a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9. BMI is a numerical value of weight in relation to height.
Studies that examined the relationship between overweight (as measured by BMI) and risk of death from all causes (often referred to as total mortality) have had contradictory results. However, considering death from all causes overlooks the role that overweight may play in the development of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
Even among the young, overweight is related to the development of serious risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, obesity, elevated levels of cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
Part of the problem with quantifying the true impact of overweight lies in the way it’s commonly measured, say the experts. The widely-used body mass index doesn’t distinguish between fat mass which is related to important health concerns—such as type 2 diabetes—and lean mass, including muscle, which reduces health risks. Also, BMI does not directly measure the distribution of fat, such as whether there is greater fat at the waist than at the hips, which may be more detrimental to health.
Focusing on the relationship between total mortality and BMI misses the “larger picture,” the statement said.
“This larger picture includes important relationships between BMI and other health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and its risk factors,” said Cora E. Lewis, M.D., M.S.P.H., lead author of the advisory and professor of medicine and public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Arguably, the most important relationship among the cardiovascular disease risk factors is diabetes, which is significantly more common in overweight than in normal-weight people.”
The advisory recommends doing research on overweight and health, beyond studies that focus solely on the relationship between total body mass index and risk of death.
“Meanwhile, we cannot afford to wait for this research to begin addressing the problem of overweight in our patients and in our society,” write the advisory authors.
An increasing number of children are overweight, which puts them at risk for developing higher than normal blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar.
“Weight gain is progressive and weight loss difficult. Although a young child is unlikely to have a heart attack, overweight children are likely to become overweight or obese adults, which puts them at risk for cardiovascular events as they mature. Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is of high importance for all Americans,” said Lewis.
Physical inactivity and excess weight increase risk of death and other adverse health outcomes; so overweight and obese persons in particular would benefit from adopting a physically active lifestyle and healthy eating habits.
Prepare for Hurricane Season
OSHA is helping you prepare for the 2009 hurricane season by assembling a variety of QuickCards™ and fact sheets on topics such as cleanup hazards, decontamination, and tree trimming and is distributing them to OSHA offices in areas most vulnerable to this natural disaster.
Small Business Forum Examines Occupational Safety and Health Issues of Aging Workforce
This forum is part of a series that fosters collaboration between the small business community and federal government entities on safety and health management issues. Dr. John Howard, former director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, will be the featured speaker. For more information or to register, contact Charlene Crawford at 202-693-2165
OSHA to Share Safety Information at SkillsUSA and ASSE Conferences
June is National Safety Month
The National Safety Council (NSC) has designated June as “National Safety Month.” The event is NSC’s annual campaign to educate people about some of the nation’s leading causes of preventable deaths and injuries. It is also a good time for businesses to promote safety among their employees and employee families, says NSC. This year’s event focuses on four themes—teen driving, falls prevention, overexertion, and distracted driving—each with its own week.