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Environmental Health and Safety Professionals are often faced with questions that do not seem to have black and white answers, but, in reality, regulatory requirements are not that gray. A common question: When do the requirements for 29 CFR 1910.120 and 29 CFR 1926.65 (OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response regulations) apply? The challenge for EHS professionals is to communicate to workers the distinction between what are considered environmental health risks Capt. John DeFillippo, CHMP, EMT-B I recently reviewed a student HazWOPER field exercise. I’ve seen good execution many times, but this class was not one of them. Why not? Poor planning. It always comes down to planning. Whether you are working together for the first time or are a part of a regular response team, what you do before you suit up definitely dictates the outcome. “If you fail to plan, you better plan to fail” I was told that phrase many National Public Radio (NPR) recently reported their findings of an investigation of safety issues at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. I was listening to the report while enjoying my morning walk in a nearby park. It stopped me in my tracks! As part of their investigative report, NPR discovered that there were situations at the mine when the methane gas monitors on continuous mining machines were disabled because By Don Hoeschele, MS, CHMM The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently approved recommendations to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and other organizations to help prevent explosions and fires during pipe cleaning and The remediation of contaminated soil at hazardous waste sites is one way that we, as a society, employ to improve our environment. However, there is a risk of releasing these hazardous substances into the air during the actual soil-remediating operations that could present health risks to the surrounding community. One method of controlling these risks is through community air monitoring programs or CAMP. EHS Top Ten Tuesday: Fire Safety 1. Approximately 75% of fire related deaths are due to smoke inhalation rather than burns or other injuries. 2. Arson is the leading cause of non-residential structure fires in the United States, followed by electrical distribution systems. 3. Good housekeeping and proper storage of flammables and combustibles are important but often overlooked aspects of fire prevention and safety. Waste should not be allowed to accumulate. Combustible or flammable wastes should be removed daily. Top Ten Things You Need to Know about the Chemical Hygiene Standard 1. The OSHA Standard for regulating safety in research and development laboratories is: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (29 CFR 1910.1450). The standard does not apply to production or QA/QC labs (see definition in #9). 2. The employer must develop and maintain a Chemical Hygiene Plan for each lab 3. The employer must designate a Chemical Hygiene Officer (an individual or group of individuals responsible for 1. Is the material hazardous? This can be determined by looking at the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or the label. 2. Does the Department of Transportation consider the material a hazardous material for transportation? Check the Hazardous Material Table (HMT) found in 49 CFR 172.101. 3. Is the material listed by name in the HMT? If so, that would be the proper shipping name. 4. Is the material not listed by name in the HMT but is a John Quatermas – EHS Consultant Working as a Health & Safety Officer (HSO) at a hazardous waste site presents many challenges. It is our job to insure that workers on the site perform their activities in a manner that protects them and the public from injury or illness. Each hazardous waste site has its own unique dangerous conditions, which must always be considered – dirty soil, contaminated groundwater, containers of hazardous materials -contaminates vary from location The Importance of Following OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200 In their attempts to increase workplace efficiency, employers and employees alike sometimes forget about a few basic safety requirements. Most commonly overlooked is OSHA’s Hazardous Communication (HAZCOM) standard which requires employers to provide employees with information “concerning chemical hazards and the appropriate protective measures for safe handling practices”. HazCom is an important part of work place safety because it provides employees with the basic |
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