IN the wake of a most devastating 2005 hurricane season with deadly storms named Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, many safety managers will undoubtedly find top management asking tough questions: "What are our risks and threats to customers, employees, operations and property? What type of enhancements to plant safety and emergency planning and response are justified?"
THIS column provides information about the use of outdoor air dampers in hot and humid climates and during hot and humid seasons in temperate climates in commercial buildings.
IN the fire alarm industry, there have always been two principal options for fire alarm systems: conventional systems and analog/addressable systems. As you might imagine, there was a time not too long ago when conventional systems were the systems of choice for most buildings.
BUYING and wearing appropriate high-visibility apparel--appropriate in the sense that the wearer is conspicuous and highly visible given the task he or she is engaged in--became much easier last fall with the update of the first American National Standard for high-visibility safety apparel, ANSI/ISEA 107-1999. Sept. 15, 2005, was the date the American National Standards Institute approved ANSI/ISEA 107-2004, which was devised by the ISEA High Visibility Products Group with help from employers, material suppliers, testing labs, safety professionals, and others.
"YOUR Speed" driver feedback signs have become increasingly popular devices for slowing traffic and increasing workers' safety. Thanks to new technologies, these signs have become more effective and easier to deploy than ever before.
TOM Davis worries about twisted knees, broken ankles, medical bills, recovery periods, new recruits, and overtime. He is not a coach, yet he has responsibility for 13 "teams."
SAD but true: In spite of all safety regulations and precautions, almost 500 deaths occurred in confined spaces during the past five years. Seventy-five percent of these deaths involved skilled workers who were cleaning, repairing, or performing routine maintenance.
THE United States may never be the target of a large-scale bioterror attack, but homeland security officials continue to urge vigilance and preparedness. Every facility manager can take a number of simple steps to improve a building's preparedness for such an attack, and many of these steps include improvements to the facility's HVAC system.
IN recent years, we Americans have experienced more than our share of natural and man-made disasters. From the six major hurricanes that struck Florida during the past two years to oil spills, tornadoes, and the devastating acts of terrorism on Sept. 11, 2001, and the Oklahoma City bombing, first responders and cleanup personnel have been required to work with a variety of catastrophic situations and related hazards.
PROVIDING individual-specific feedback is one of the most inexpensive and powerful tools in the arsenal of a leader. And of all leadership practices, few so perfectly balance a leader's dual tasks of establishing performance expectations and creating the conditions conducive to meeting those expectations.
MANY respirator program managers have been taught that respirator faceseal leakage increases directly with increased breathing resistance. If this were true, an increase in breathing resistance (pressure drop) because a particle filter has become loaded with a solid aerosol (clogging) would be expected to increase the wearer's contaminant exposure via increased faceseal leakage.
THE operating philosophy and the challenge facing the emergency services component of a major U.S. city is to be prepared for anything and to protect the area's 2 million residents. The city's Bureau of Operations includes the fire department, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, four heavy rescue units, and a special hazardous materials team.
WHAT are portable air cleaners (PACs) and how are they used? Portable air cleaners (PACs) are small hand transportable air cleaning units used in occupied spaces (classrooms, offices) to reduce the concentration of airborne particles and sometimes vapors and gases. They typically weigh 10-20 lbs, are freestanding, use local electrical current, and can be placed anywhere in a room.
WHEN a fire breaks out, the immediate need to evacuate, contain, and suppress overshadows any thought about future contingency planning. The goal is to get out alive and put the fire out. Tomorrow will bring its own set of problems, or so the thinking goes.