Back in Nov of 2006 I published this article.  Driving incidents are the number 1 cause of employee injury today, and with the weather we are currently having, I think it is important to revisit the article again. 

Winter Car Kit

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, about 70 percent of winter deaths related to snow and ice occur in automobiles. When driving in such conditions is necessary, the agency recommends traveling in daylight and not traveling alone, keeping others notified of your schedule, and staying on main roads. In addition to winterizing your vehicle mechanically and keeping its gas tank full, FEMA advises carrying the following items in the vehicle’s trunk:

• Shovel
• Windshield scraper
• Battery-powered radio
• Flashlight
• Extra batteries
• Water
• Snack food
• Mittens
• Hat
• Blanket
• Tow chain or rope
• Tire chains
• Bag of road salt and sand
• Fluorescent distress flag
• Booster cables
• Road maps
• Emergency flares
• Cell phone or two-way radio

Source: FEMA

Are you aware of the The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005 or SAFETEA-LU?  If you ship or receive hazardous materials as defined in 49 CFR parts 172.101

This act raised the DOT’s ability to impose a civil fine from $50,000/incident to $100,000/day/incident.  So, what does this mean to you?  If your shipment is NOT in compliance with 49 CFR parts 100-185 it could cost you significant fines. 

Today the US DOT is taking incorrect shipments very seriously.  Shipping hazardous materials incorrectly, in commerce, can cost your organization big bucks.   Consider that you send 1001 pounds of AMMONIUM NITRATE by ground transportation and have incorrect shipping papers, the wrong placard on your truck, and your employees have not been trained properly.  This represents a possible fine of $300,000/day. 

There are 5 parts to Hazmat training:

• General Awareness/Familiarization Training- How to use the 49CFR and identify hazardous materials
• Function-specific Training-What specific hazardous materials you ship or receive and how to do it correctly
• Safety Training-Emergency Response, safety measures used to protect employee’s, handling of hazardous materials
• Security Awareness Training-awareness of security risks and how to recognize possible security threats
• In-depth Security Training-If you ship certain classifications and quantities of hazardous materials you need more in-depth planning and training

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

The Compliance Resource Center offers customized on-site HAZMAT training.  Each class is customized to your organizations specific hazardous materials shipped or received.  Contact us for more information.

THIS time of year, it’s often dark by the time we leave our offices. This, together with the upcoming bustle and busyness of the holiday season, makes it a great time to review the security practices at your workplace.

Security company Protection One suggests these tips for keeping your office, employees and inventory secure during this season and year round:

• Make well-lit, access-controlled parking available, and suggest a “buddy” system within the parking area.
• If possible, make security escorts available to and from employee parking.
• Register all guests and accompany them during their visits.
• Never leave your reception area unattended.
• Do not allow entry doors to be propped open if no one is present or nearby.
• Don’t allow unknown service personnel free access to your office space.
• Report broken doors, windows and locks to building security personnel.
• Monitor and report suspicious activity in or near your facility.
• Consider an integrated, monitored security and fire system as well as a remote/IP video system, which allows easy access to facility cameras via the Internet.
• Install an electronic access system, and closely inventory all photo badges, ID cards, etc.
• If you already have a security system, request regular system inspections and evaluations.
• Do not open suspicious packages: Report them to local authorities.
• Employ updated computer security software for your entire network.
• Back up and store sensitive and critical information and databases.
• Shred or destroy old documents containing sensitive business information.
• Keep an inventory of your most critical equipment, hardware and software.
• Develop fire and emergency plans and regularly practice drills.
• Keep facilities well-lit, inside and out, even during non-business hours.
• Form a safety team to help keep safety and security issues a focus.
• Encourage employees to secure valuables, including documents that might contain personal information, in their work areas at all times and especially during company gatherings or breaks.

New information in first update since 2004.
A U.S.-based manufacturer of regulatory compliance products, will print an update of the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) - the first available in four years. This important publication is the cornerstone of many emergency response plans and incident management systems, providing a consistent and standardized approach for first responders in the event of an incident involving hazardous materials.

The ERG is developed jointly by the US Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico (SCT), and with the collaboration of CIQUIME (Centro de Informacion Quimica para Emergencias) of Argentina.

In its thirty odd years of existence, the ERG has been and will continue to be the “go-to” reference for first responders faced with the possibility of a hazardous materials incident. This guidebook is published in a user-friendly format and is divided into five sections which are color coded to maximize efficiency and ease of use.

The following items are new for 2008:

.   Over fifty amendments to proper shipping names and ID numbers (United Nations numbers)
.   Lists of hazardous materials found in the yellow and blue bordered pages will be updated to reflect those changes
.   New entry for Lithium Ion batteries will be included
.   Ethanol will have new entries and identification numbers added
.   The ‘’Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distance Table'’ will be split into two tables to better facilitate initial incident response actions for emergencies involving TIH (Toxic Inhalation Hazards)

The 2008 ERG represents the first publication since the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials programs were merged, so there will be new information introduced regarding pipeline markers.
 
 

It’s a beautiful fall day, crisp temperatures, leaves turning those beautiful shades of oranges, yellows and reds, and that touch of pumpkins in the air.  So what are safety managers thinking about?  They need to have all of this years training completed….soon.  They are going into the 4th quarter and need to have their budgets ready from next year.  They also need to make sure they have all of this years budget spent, so there is not too significant of a cut back for next year.

Here are some ideas that may help the process.  If you have not done all your training and have some money to spend, this is a great time to make sure it is complete.  OSHA, EPA, and DOT often first look at training records a when they come visiting. 

OSHA recommends and sometimes requires on-going training in a variety of areas. 
 ·  New employees and/or new polices and procedures require new training.
 ·  Changes in using or labeling of hazardous materials require training.
 ·  Making sure that people are re-certified in First Aid, CPR/AED. 
 ·  If you have HAZWOPER trained people, having an 8-hour refresher class.
 ·  Driver Safety Training.
 ·  Emergency Response Planning.

The US DOT requires Hazmat training if your organization ships hazardous materials by ground, air or ocean.  Employees involved in the shipping or receiving of hazardous materials MUST be trained every 3 years for ground transportation and every 2 years for air and/or ocean shipping.  Your employees require Hazmat training if your company manufacturers hazardous materials packaging,.  New employees must receive training within 90 days after employment. 
This training must include:
 1.  General Awareness Training
 2.  Function Specific Training
 3.  Safety Training
 4.  Security Awareness Training
 5.  In certain cases In-Depth Security Training

This site does not publish the fines that companies get when they are in violation of compliance.  However, a majority of these fines, lost work days, lost productivity and more, could have been avoided by spending money training the employees.

The Compliance Resource Center can do all this and more.  Whenever possible the training is customized to your organizations needs. 
HAVE A SAFE DAY!

The BIG show is almost here.   The National Safety Council’s Congress & Expo is scheduled for October 15, 16, & 17 in Chicago.  This is the largest Safety & Health expo in the world.  There will be about 140 educational sessions, 32 professional development seminars, and over 800 exhibitors.  Many companies send their safety teams to attend the educational seminars and then have their annual safety meeting afterwards.  It is also a great place to network and look for jobs.  My favorite part has always been the people I have met.  Safety and Health professionals from all over the world.  Click here for a link to the keynote speakers. 

If you have the opportunity, come and check it out, you won’t be sorry.

OSHA has issued a new directive, CPL 02-02-073–Inspection Procedures for 29 CFR 1910.120 and 1926.65, Paragraph (q): Emergency Response to Hazardous Substance Releases. The directive updates policies and provides clarification to ensure uniform enforcement of the provisions in the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard that cover emergency response operations for releases of, or substantial threats of releases of, hazardous substances without regard to the location of the hazard. It revises CPL 02-02-059, issued April 24, 1998.

Enforcement procedures for compliance officers who need to conduct inspections of emergency response operations are included in the revision. It defines additional terms and expands on training requirements for emergency responders and other groups such as skilled support personnel. New guidance is provided on how HAZWOPER may apply to unique events such as terrorist attacks and addresses OSHA’s role under the National Response Plan. OSHA says the update will assist other federal, state, and local personnel who have responsibilities under incident command systems and will assist in emergency response operations.

The instruction updates policy and provides clarification on the following issues:

• HAZWOPER’s application to a terrorist incident response involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials.
• OSHA’s relationship with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-5), including discussion addressing the National Response Plan (NRP), the Worker Safety and Health Support Annex, and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
• OSHA’s National Emergency Management Plan (NEMP) and Regional Emergency.
• Management Plans (REMPs).
• Definition of “First Receivers.”
• OSHA’s “Best Practices for Hospital-Based First Receivers of Victims from Mass
• Casualty Incidents Involving the Release of Hazardous Substances.”
• Shelter-in-Place.
• Damaged packages during shipping.
• Skilled Support Personnel.
• Emergency responder training levels.
• Medical Surveillance for emergency responders.
• Computer-based training.
• Updates to citation guidelines.

QUINCY, MA — The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) suggests that now is the perfect time to Get Ready! for a disaster.

September is National Preparedness Month and NFPA is urging the public to take time this month to prepare for a disaster before one strikes.

Get Ready! Preparing Your Community for a Disaster is a comprehensive disaster preparedness guide developed by NFPA to make the daunting task of preparing for the unknown more manageable. The kit was recently sent to 30,000 fire departments across the country as a resource for them to help their community prepare. Materials are also available for download at no charge. Most materials are also available in Spanish.

“Preparing yourself, your family, and your community for the unexpected can be a frightening endeavor, but being caught unprepared in the face of disaster can prove to be deadly,” said Judy Comoletti, assistant vice president of public education for NFPA. “The Get Ready! program is designed to help people develop their emergency plan by putting much needed informational materials at their fingertips.”

Disastrous events in recent years have served as reminders that there is no single preparedness tool more important than a plan. Get Ready!  Preparing Your Community for a Disaster provides a foundation for understanding what to do, where to go, and how to survive in a disaster. Informational sheets provide guidance on what to do before, during, and after an incident on the following topics: home fires, blackouts, hurricanes, landslides, thunderstorms, tornadoes, earthquakes, national security, volcanoes, extreme heat, nuclear incidents, wildfires, floods, older adults, winter storms, hazardous materials, people with disabilities, and pets. The guide also provides a lesson plan and presentation materials, making conducting a workshop easy. A family emergency plan is available for download as well as an emergency supplies kit checklist.

Get Ready! Preparing Your Community for a Disaster was developed by NFPA for fire departments nationwide. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness.

NFPA suggests the following tips to keep in mind when preparing for a disaster. Visit www.nfpa.org/disaster for more detailed information.

How to prepare before a disaster:

• Be informed
• Make a plan
• Get a kit
• Volunteer to help others

Have an emergency plan that includes:

• Escape and evacuation routes
• Family communications
• Utility shut-off and safety
• Vital records
• Specific needs
• Caring for animals
• Safety skills

Get an emergency supplies kit that at a minimum includes:

• Bottled water: A minimum three-day supply of water. A seven-day supply is best, with a three-day supply ready to take with you. One gallon of water per person, per day is recommended.
• Food: Avoid foods that cause thirst. Include canned foods, dry mixes, and other nonperishable food. Remember to include a hand can opener.
• A battery-powered radio with extra batteries or a hand-crank radio
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Sanitation and hygiene items
• Matches in a waterproof container
• A whistle
• Extra clothing
• Cooking utensils
• Photocopies of credit and identification cards
• Cash
• Items for infants
• Specific needs items
• A personal pack for children
• Download an emergency supplies kit checklist