Today the state police and the Department of Motor Vehicles are cracking down on unsafe trucks and buses.This new safety initiative is taking place all over the US as well as Canada and Mexico. The campaign was named Roadcheck 2011 and began today. The DMV along with the help of the state police have set up truck and bus safety inspection sites. Main areas such as truck stops and the busiest highways will be a main focus. Enforcement will be checking trucks and buses for maintenance, safety, and looking for drowsy drivers. The goal is to immediately remove violators off the road. This is all part of a bigger plan from the DMV to make roads safer and ensure that all companies are remaining compliant. Be sure to go through your safety check list before sending out your drivers. You will not only be avoiding the possibility of hefty fines but the hours of productivity that will be lost with removing your trucks or buses off the road.

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The investigative board from the US and Chemical Safety Hazard Board is certainly busy these days. The CSB’s resources had already been stretched to the max with other disaster investigations such as recent explosions at the Kleen Energy power plant in Middletown, CT, and the ConAgra Slim Jim facility in Garner, NC. Now the CSB is being asked to investigate the Gulf Disaster. This was a tough decision since they really do not have the capacity to take on another investigation. Considering the Gulf Disaster is one of the biggest chemical accidents of this century, CBS has decided to investigate. They are hoping the other two disaster investigations will be wrapped as soon as possible. Regarding the BP Oil Spill, they will closely examine technical factors, safety procedures, and the effectiveness of industry laws, regulations and standards.

For more information visit the U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s Website. The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the agency’s board members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

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The NFPA rating scale and bar code system supports the NFPA 704.  Defined by the NFPA, the objectives of the NFPA 704 System are:

• To provide an appropriate signal or alert for the protection of both public and private emergency response personnel
• To assist in planning for effective fire and emergency control operations, including clean-up
• To assist all designated personnel, engineers, plant, and safety personnel in evaluating hazards

The NFPA Rating scale is displayed as a diamond and consists of four segments including health hazard, fire hazard, specific hazard, and instability. They are also color-coded as follows: blue for health, red for flammability, white for specific hazard and yellow for instability.  The NFPA Color Bar consist of three of these same segments excluding the specific hazard.  These systems are widely used and will identify the hazards of a material by four principal categories:

Health Hazard – ranks the specific material’s probable severity to personal health

Fire Hazard – ranks the specific material’s susceptibility to burn

Instability – ranks the specific material’s ease, rate and quantity of energy released

Specific Hazard – identifies the specific material’s special hazard potential or any special protection which may be required

The Rating Explanation Guide below can be used to determine the specific rating to be used.  Seton carries many signs, charts and labels to meet your specifications for NFPA communication.

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Alarming cancer statistics have been making waves with scientists and environmentalists to re-examine chemical safety. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime, and approximately 21 percent will die from it. In 2009 alone, about 1.5 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in the U.S.  With over 700 new chemicals introduced each year, its hard to  believe there is no law requiring companies to demonstrate that the new chemicals are safe to the public.  However, there is an related Act called the Toxics Substances Control Act of 1976, which many believe to be  ineffective.  Last month, three different state representatives got together to propose new legislation that would keep harmful chemicals out of our air, food, water and consumer products.

The Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 would update the Toxics Substances Control Act of 1976.   Since 1976, the toxic substances act has resulted in only 200 chemicals (out of 80,000) in circulation being assessed for safety. Out of that 80,000  only five chemicals are currently being restricted for use.  This legislation could phase out some of the most dangerous chemicals such as lead,  PBTs such as mercury (present in light bulbs and power plant emissions) and formaldehyde should be phased out of commerce except for critical uses.  We will keep you updated if this legislation goes through! For more information..The Baltimore Sun has a complete story.

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The US Chemical Safety Board has been investigating an explosion that occurred on April 14,2010 which resulted in a death of a 21-year old man.  CSB investigators determined that a lit cigarette or lighter was the likely ignition source for the explosion. This happened when the man was peering down a tank full of crude oil.   The resulting explosion and fire engulfed the victim and caused a second explosion in an interconnected tank. The victim suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body.  Another individual suffered second-degree burns. The investigation details are quite shocking.

“The catwalk leading to the top of the tank was unsecured and readily accessible,” said CSB Investigator Vidisha Parasram. “The tank hatches had no mechanism which would permit them to be secured or locked. No fire or explosion warning signs or other warning signage was visible anywhere on the site following the accident.” Ms. Parasram said the CSB would continue to study whether any signage could have been destroyed in the fire, but that even the undamaged portions of the facility and the entrance gates had no posted warnings. Eyewitnesses said they saw no signs on the night of the accident or during previous visits to the site.”

Further investigation show that explosive warning signs could have prevented this tragedy. The man was just interested to see what was inside the tank according to witnesses. If there had been correct signage it might have been a different ending.

Source : http://www.csb.gov/newsroom/detail.aspx?nid=315

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When cleaning up a spill, many are concerned with the potential hazards they are preventing to the environment, but what about the hazards to personnel?

Keeping yourself safe when responding to a spill is crucial to the spill clean up process and employee health and safety. Of course the hazards that one might face during the spill cleanup process, vary greatly depending on what job is being performed. Slips, trips and falls are possible due to slick conditions, heat related injuries can occur depending on the environment and even drowning based on location, as those currently cleaning up in the Gulf may be likely to face.  Workers involved in spill clean up operations are covered by OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard (1910.120 and 1926.65).

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels was in Louisiana Monday and met with a group of experienced hazardous materials professionals to help lead an effort to ensure that oil spill cleanup workers receive necessary protections from the hazards of this work.  OSHA has published a press release from this meeting, to read more please click here.

“Oil spill cleanup workers are on the front lines attacking this disaster,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “It is our top priority to ensure that this is done as effectively, efficiently and safely as possible.”

Workers load a boat with oil booms in Bay St. Louis, Miss., as they continue preparations to head off damage from the oil spill in the Gulf Friday, April 30, 2010. Source: www.cbsnews.com (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

OSHA is distributing guides for cleanup workers and developing those guides in Vietnamese and Spanish. OSHA also has established a website to provide hazard awareness material for all involved in the cleanup activities. The website will be updated with new information as the situation warrants.

OSHA has provided information on worker safety guidelines during the oil spill cleanup, please visit http://www.osha.gov/oilspills/index.html.

OSHA’s role is to ensure that employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees, America’s working men and women, by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, education and assistance.

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Safety Storage Cabinets help contain hazardous materials so having the right one is essential. There are several types of colors, door styles, capacities, shelves and approval ratings.  Before you start your research process you need to define what exactly you are using the cabinet for. Do regulations apply to the use of the cabinet? What type of materials will be stored in the cabinet? How much space will you need for storage? Seton has all your cabinet research information at your fingertips!

Regulation approvals for safety cabinets are coded into FM, N, O, and U.   FM stands for Factory Mutual tested and approved. N stands for designed to meet NFPA Code 30 (Flammable and Combustible Liquids) Regulations.   O stands for complies with OSHA Regulations.  U stands for complies with Uniform Fire Code (NFPA 1 ). Make sure you check to see if you are obligated to comply to any of these regulations. Now according to your research of what types of materials will be placed in the cabinet you should choose a color.  The following colors usually identify what material is stored.

• Yellow = flammable liquids
• Red  = combustible liquids
• Blue = corrosive liquids
• Green = pesticides and insecticides
• Gray/White = miscellaneous such as hazardous waste
• White = laboratory settings to match existing case work

Cabinet storage capacity ranges from 4- gallons to 120-gallons.  Be sure to check what type of safety can or gallon drums will be placed inside so you can calculate the maximum capacity you might need. Regulations, type of storage material and capacity are the main characteristics you should be aware of before your search.  After that, style of storage cabinets vary  including shelving, number of doors, and type of door style such as manual or self-close.  Seton carries a large selection of Hazardous Storage and Transport containers for all your storage and transportation needs. Whether you need Hazardous Chemical Storage, Hazardous Liquid Storage, or just Storage of Hazardous Materials, we have a product solution for you.

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Wondering how? Are you thinking this can’t be true? We’ll it is.

I know, I know -  the time cleaning up, the cost of the sorbents, the disposal fees, its all so expensive, but it really is the little things that add up and can save you money in the long run.

Lets take sorbents. Did you know that there are perforated sorbents? Yes! Much like the new Bounty® paper towels you might use at home. The new Select-A-Size towels are perforated, allowing you to use only the size towel you need depending on the size of your spill. The same thing is available for industrial sorbents! Big spill or small, the perforated sorbents do the same.

Get more out of your spill sorbent purchase. Sorbent Rolls and Pads are available in perforated styles. Perforated means you save time and money. Why use an entire 15″ x 19″ pad when you only need  a 5″ x 18″ size? Save your sorbents and save yourself some money. Using the smaller size spill sorbents means that you can use it as a wipe, a sock, a full size pad, or even make it longer and use it as a roll. You’re in control of how much you use and how much you waste.

If you’re looking to save money on spill cleanup, look no further. Seton has all the sorbents you need, even the money-saving perforated kind. Available in oil only, universal and hazmat options, you can get it all, here.

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OSHA is in the midst of investigating a spill at a Pennsylvania manufacturing plant.

It appears that last week at Electric Materials Co., an employee, who works in the plant’s plating department,  was seriously injured when a mixture was dumped into a barrel containing other chemicals, causing a reaction. The employee remains hospitalized. In addition to this employees hospitalization, another 19 employees were treated for exposure, when a vapor cloud swept slowly through most of the 440,000-square-foot plant, exposing numerous workers to the chemicals. To read more about this incident, see the full article here.

While accidents like this can not always be avoided, but in this case certain steps could have been taken to help avoid this confusion, and ultimately, the employee injuries.

The container in which the employee dumped other chemicals, should have been properly labeled.  Labels offer the ability to clearly identify the contents inside drums and barrels to avoid confusion. While the employee may have seen other chemicals in the container, perhaps he did not know that they would be reactive with the chemicals he had to dispose of.   In that case, a great resource for employees would be a Labeling and MSDS Station.   MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) is a document that contains material specific information regarding component makeup, safe use practices,  storage requirements,  safe handling precautions,  personal protective equipment recommendations,  emergency procedures and potential health hazardous associated with the hazardous material. OSHA requires all employers to inform their employees of the chemical hazard present in their workplace though the use of MSDS’s, training and labeling.  Check out Seton.com today for all types of chemical and hazardous safety products.

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