Facility Safety

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An explosion at a flour mill in Statesville, N.C. last weekend that seriously injured a worker highlights the need for a combustible dust standard, says the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health.The blast at the Bartlett Milling Co. occurred while two maintenance workers were repairing a piece of equipment.

While brief episodes of mold in a building are normal and pose little risk to health, persistent dampness and mold damage requires prevention, management and effective remediation in order to reduce new onset asthma, lead to savings in health care costs, and improve public health.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) says it supports a bill that would direct OSHA to to issue an interim and final standard regarding worker exposure to combustible dust – with some reservations.

An OSHA investigation following the death of two workers at a crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma resulted in fifteen serious citations against Wynnewood Refining Company – earning the company a spot in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP).

A hydrocarbon release at a Chevron refinery in Richmond, California last August engulfed nineteen workers in a vapor cloud and sparked a fire that caused nearby residents to be evacuated. Now the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is preparing to make public the results of its investigation into the incident.