The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced more than $4 million in FY 2017 Hazardous Materials Instructor Training (HMIT) and Supplemental Public Sector Training (SPST) grants.
On the expo floor of Safety 2017, 28 vendors showcased mobile apps (tracking devices, mobile inspections, alarms and signaling devices, etc.). The new buzzword is “connectivity.” Safety pros are now using technology to respond to the exact location of an employee in distress of help while providing tools to account for the wellbeing of every worker.
First responders, Homeland Security officers and others whose jobs involve safeguarding the public are increasingly arming themselves with radiation detection devices that can help them deal with hazardous materials events or acts of terrorism.
In the past year and a half, more than 20 weather and climate disasters, each with losses exceeding $1 billion, occurred in the U.S. and Canada. Consisting of 11 severe storms, four floods, a drought, regional wildfires, and a winter storm, these events caused 185 deaths.
Cities and towns beset by natural disasters or catastrophic events immediately turn to their community’s first responders to coordinate and execute rescue and recovery efforts.
The practice is no different when a calamity occurs in an underground mine.
The massive wildfire that has forced the evacuation of 90,000 Canadians and burned an area about the size of Houston has taken a toll on the region’s firefighters.
Recommends changes in hazard awareness, land use planning and regulatory oversight
February 1, 2016
The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) last week voted on its final report and safety recommendations on the April 17, 2013, West Fertilizer fire and explosion in West, Texas, which resulted in 15 fatalities, more than 260 injuries, and widespread community damage.
The National Safety Council applauds lawmakers for reauthorizing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, also known as the World Trade Center Health Program, and including it in the omnibus appropriations bill. Continuing to fund the program ensures that the men and women who responded to the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Penn., on Sept. 11, 2001, receive the care and medical coverage they deserve.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and ASIS International (ASIS), the preeminent fire protection and security associations, have launched a joint initiative to address active shooter incidents. The two ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organizations recognize the need to collectively address the intersections of security, safety and fire safety management to maximize protection of human and physical assets during active shooter incidents.
Although employees trained in first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation are commonplace in workplaces, the concept of first responders for mental health crises is still very much in its infancy, even though millions of workers take sick leave or paid time off each year due to mental illness.