Ammonia is one of the most commonly manufactured bulk chemicals in the world. Widely used in fertilizers, plastics, refrigeration, metallurgy, explosives and household products, Ammonia is toxic, highly reactive and corrosive. Spills and releases pose a significant threat to workers from skin contact, inhalation, fire and even explosion.
Work history, personal opinion and company policy seem to often lead to practice, procedures or opinions regarding Permit-Required Confined Spaces that are in conflict with the actual content of the OSHA regulation. This simple 20-question quiz will point out some common errors of interpretation.
New legislation would attempt to put contract workers — like the 14 who lost their lives in the 2005 BP refinery explosion — on equal footing with regular employees on issues of workplace safety.
China is now finalizing a new “Labor Contract Law” to protect workers in the global economy’s “biggest factory floor,” but the proposal is hitting a wall of opposition from transnational corporations who are threatening to move their operations to other parts of Asia.
When selecting FR fabrics, safety pros can enlist the help of industry performance standards, such as ASTM F-1506 for arc flash and NFPA 2112 for flash fire. However, these standards are designed to represent a minimum performance criteria; they are intended to be used as the starting point, not the finish line, when evaluating FR clothing.
Legal regulations and voluntary industry safety standards encompassing PPE are becoming more exact and pervasive. NFPA 70E, a national consensus standard that establishes safety guidelines for workers exposed to electrical hazards, is a prime example. 70E is driving changes across numerous businesses and facilities where employees access electrical systems and energized components.
Years ago, the grocery industry, in particular, found a type of handy little knife to be very useful when opening thousands of box tops every day. However, along with providing a quick and easy way to open cartons came a propensity for accidents. In the past 20 years, safety cutters have evolved to provide a safer work environment for nearly any industry.
Hazmat teams must be able to detect and then identify and quantify any suspect toxic material as fast as possible. As such, they arrive at the scene equipped with a wide range of detection and identification devices.
When smoke fills a room or flames become visible in a building, it’s almost inevitable that someone will panic. Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely engineer this dynamic out of emergency plans. However, making it as easy as possible for people to get out of a building, and performing regular exit drills can help prevent chaos and confusion during an emergency.
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