Industrial Fire Prevention

U.S. Chemical Safety Board U.S. Chemical Safety Board Releases New Safety Video, "Dangerously Close: Explosion in West, Texas,” Detailing Report Findings and Recommendations on 2013 Fatal West Fertilizer Company Explosion and Fire January 29, 2016, Washington, DC – Today the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released a safety video into the fatal April 17, 2013, fire and explosion at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas, which resulted in 15 fatalities, more than 260 injuries, and widespread community damage. The deadly fire and explosion occurred when about thirty tons of fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate (FGAN) exploded after being heated by a fire at the storage and distribution facility. The CSB’s newly released 12-minute safety video entitled, “Dangerously Close: Explosion in West, Texas,” includes a 3D animation of the fire and explosion as well as interviews with CSB investigators and Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland. The video can be viewed on the ...

It Only Takes a Second . . . It takes a minute to write a safety rule. It takes an hour to hold a safety meeting. It takes a week to plan a good safety program. It takes a month to put that program into operation. It takes a year to win a safety award. It takes a lifetime to make a safe worker. But it only takes a second to destroy it all—with one accident. Take time NOW to work safely and help your fellow employees to be safe. One is too many.

From National Fire Protection Association Blog Over 15,000 NFPA definitions for free!  The 2016 edition of the NFPA Glossary of Terms (GOT) has been published and is available for FREE online. Visit www.nfpa.org/got to download your copy. The GOT is a list of the defined terms in all of NFPA's published codes, standards, guides and recommended practices. Over 15,000 terms are listed alphabetically and assembled into a free PDF available on the NFPA website. The document is used in a number of ways. It helps NFPA Technical Committees who are looking to define new terms or compare existing terms. It also helps members of the public who are interested in learning about how NFPA documents define specific terms. The GOT contains the following details about each term: Term: The word being defined. Definition: The description of the term. Document (Edition): Where the term and definition are found (document #) and the edition year of that document. Document Defini...

Using Listening to Avoid "Deadly" Resolutions   Jeff Griffin Director of Sales & Business Development at Fauske & Associates, LLC Using Listening to Avoid "Deadly" Resolutions Jan 12, 2016 While catching up on my reading from before the holidays, I ran across a short piece in EHS Today , which gave a “Top-5 List” of the industries that are most "at risk" for combustible dust explosions. I appreciate these types of articles, and New Year’s lists in general because they are good for raising awareness about important topics and motivating change. As someone in the safety industry, I am most interested in those lists that address the risks found in industry, whether with combustible dust, flammability, orthermal hazards. “It Doesn’t Apply to Me” The danger with looking at anyone else's list is that it is easy to take a quick look and infer that the list “does not apply to me”. This happens a lot when dealing with process ...

OSHA's Top 10 most cited violations for fiscal year 2015 | December 2015 | Safety+Health Magazine OSHA's Top 10 most cited violations Growing data and changing inspection strategies Kyle W. Morrison November 22, 2015 The Top 10 list of OSHA’s most-frequently cited violations for fiscal year 2015 may look similar to last year’s, but change is happening behind the scenes. One year ago, OSHA began collecting additional data from employers on amputations and hospitalizations; the resulting information has led to the agency “engaging with every employer” involved in the reported incidents, Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Activities, said in an exclusive interview with Safety+Health. In September, OSHA announced it will move away from tallying each inspection equally and instead will use a weighted system based on how complicated the inspection may be. The new system is intended to place greater value on complex inspect...

From EHS Today What Are the Industries at Risk for Combustible Dust Explosions? FR clothing company Workrite Uniform Co. encourages workplace safety by highlighting the top five at-risk industries. Dec 16, 2015 Sandy Smith Thinkstock Combustible dust, accumulated particulate solids with the potential to ignite and create a flash fire hazard, is a present danger for a number of industries. However, workers can reduce burn injury with the use of flame-resistant (FR) clothing. Personal protective equipment manufacturers are the “go-to” experts in the use of PPE: Their representatives serve on ANSI, NFPA and ASTM committees and much of the research and development and testing of PPE is done by manufacturers. According to Workrite Uniform Co., employers need to ensure that FR clothing is UL-certified to NFPA 2112, the “Standard on Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire.” Workrite crea...