Hazardous Materials
CSB Sheds Light on Fatal Kleen Energy Explosion, Highlights Gas Blow Hazards
In a Feb. 25 statement, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Lead Investigator Don Holmstrom said the fatal Feb. 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown, Conn., occurred during a planned gas blow. He expressed broader safety concerns over natural gas power plants venting gas near worksites, a practice he called “inherently unsafe.”...
Survey: Improved Chemical Security Makes Millions Safer
A new survey by the Center for American Progress identified 554 drinking water and wastewater plants in 47 states that have replaced extremely hazardous substances with safer and more secure chemicals or processes...
Chemical Emergencies: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Don’t kid yourself. Just because we don’t hear about Bhopal-sized chemical releases doesn’t mean our workplaces are safe from chemical emergencies...
What You Need to Know about Dust Explosions and Your Facility, Part 2
This two-part series examines the causes of dust explosions, their devastating impact and the measures suggested by OSHA, the National Fire Protection Agency and the Chemical Safety and Hazard Review Board to eliminate them...
Coalition Calls for Improved Chemical Plant Safety
Corresponding with the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal, India, disaster, a coalition of labor and environment groups called for increased safety at U.S. chemical plants through improved processes and reduced onsite hazardous chemical storage...
OSHA Releases Guidance on Training, PPE for EMS Responders
OSHA issued the guidance document Best Practices for Protecting EMS Responders During Treatment and Transport of Victims of Hazardous Substance Releases to address adequate training and PPE for emergency medical services responders who assist victims of hazardous substance release incidents...
GHS: The Power of One
As the United States creeps closer to adopting the Globally Harmonized Hazard Communication System (GHS), companies must be prepared to comply with the new provisions...
OSHA Issues Proposed Rule to Adopt the Globally Harmonized Hazard Communication System
Calling it the “first step in an aggressive regulatory agenda” for the Obama administration, acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab announced a proposed rule to align OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (hazcom standard) with provisions of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The rule was published in the Sept. 30 Federal Register...
DHS Secretary Napolitano Announces $42 Million in Funding for Explosive Detection Systems at Three Airports
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano on Aug. 7 announced approximately $42 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding for the construction of new inline baggage handling systems...
OSHA Program Targets Workplaces that Release Highly Hazardous Chemicals
Facilities that potentially could release highly hazardous chemicals resulting in toxic fire or explosion hazards are the focus of a national emphasis program (NEP) developed by OSHA...
Protective Clothing: Saving Lives in Laramie
When a chlorine gas leak sent two to the hospital, first responders depended on protective clothing and respirators to save their lives....
New Report Finds Fault with Radiation Portal Monitors, Better Technology Needed
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., says a new report questioning the effectiveness of next-generation radiation portal monitors means the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) must develop better technology to prevent terrorists from smuggling nuclear weapons across our borders...
CSB: ConAgra Explosion Likely Caused by Natural Gas
Based upon its ongoing investigation of the fatal June 9 ConAgra Foods explosion, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said the blast likely was caused by natural gas that may have been purged into the building during a water heater installation...
CSB Releases Safety Video on Need for Chemical Emergency Preparedness
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently released a new safety video showing the need for emergency response agencies, companies and communities to work closely together...
CSB: Bayer Explosion Caused by Runaway Chemical Reaction
A large explosion and fire that took the lives of two workers at the Bayer CropScience plant in August 2008 was caused by a thermal runaway reaction during the production of an insecticide...
Your Guide to the Safe Handling of Flammable Liquids
In the March article, Your Guide To The Safe Handling Of Flammable Liquids, we discussed the chemistry of fire and some fire facts about flammable liquids,...
Your Guide To The Safe Handling Of Flammable Liquids
Last March, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released some startling statistics for the 3-year period ending in 2005. According to NFPA,...
CSB to Investigate Utah Refinery Explosion
A Jan. 12 explosion at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah, injured four workers and prompted a four-member team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) to investigate the cause of the incident....
CSB Chairman Calls for Focus On Process Safety, Accident Prevention During Recession
In his first video safety message on Dec. 22, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Chairman John Bresland said that chemical companies and refineries need to continue to invest in process safety and preventive maintenance, even as the economic downturn cuts into sales and profits....
Report: Highest Hazard U.S. Chemical Facilities Can Be Converted to Protect Millions from Possible Terrorist Attack
A new report from the Center for American Progress identifies safer and more secure alternatives for the nation’s 101 most dangerous chemical facilities...
Last Remaining Nerve Agent Eliminated at Umatilla Chemical Depot
According to Conrad Whyne, the director of the U.S. Army Chemicals Agency (CMA), working at one of the nation’s chemical weapons storage and disposal sites is as safe as working in a library....
CSB Investigates Fatal Ohio Oilfield Explosion
A two-person investigative team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) traveled to the scene of an Oct. 19 fatal explosion at a rural Ohio oilfield. The explosion killed two contract workers at a facility operated by Canada-based Mar Oil Co. in La Rue, Ohio, located approximately 60 miles northwest of Columbus. ...
MSDS Gone Wild!
This scenario, while fictitious, is played out a thousand times every year in facilities all across our nation. We all have learned the OSHA rules of hazard communication, 29CFR1910.1200. The purpose and design of the program is excellent: that any chemicals produced or imported are evaluated for hazards and those hazards are then communicated to the employees and employers who might come in contact with them. ...
