Disaster Preparedness


Kidde Recalls Fire Extinguishers Due to Failure to Operate

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Walter Kidde Portable Equipment Inc., of Mebane, N.C., has announced a voluntary recall of certain approximately 167,000 Kidde XL Fire Extinguishers.

AHRQ Releases Tools for Safeguarding Children during Emergencies

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released two new tools designed to protect and care for children who are in a hospital or a school during a public health emergency.

EPA Promises Regulations to Prevent Impoundment Failures

The agency’s plan responds to the 300-acre contamination from a massive spill at a TVA facility in Kingston, Tenn., last December. About 300 units with surface impoundments are being asked to provide information.

Process Safety Management Failings at Refinery Lead to $130,500 in Fines

Included in the penalty amount is one willful violation for the company's failure to appropriately test gas monitors for hydrogen sulfide and combustible gas in the HVAC systems for the control rooms.

USFA Releases Wildland Fire Skills 'Gap' Courses

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) recently announced the availability of wildland fire skills Gap courses for structural firefighters.

IAEM Praises Fugate, Obama's Choice for FEMA Chief

Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management since 2001, has presided over 23 Declared State Emergencies, according to DHS.

OSHA Interpretation: Not All Firefighters have HAZWOPER Clearance

"Personnel trained to the first responder awareness level may make an effort to identify hazardous substances, but they must do so from a safe distance," wrote Richard E. Fairfax, director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs.

Pa. Governor: Weather Emergency Preparedness Week Is March 1-7

Some of the planned "Weather Emergency Preparedness Week" activities will include community-based public information programs, a one-day exercise, and a statewide test of the Emergency Alert System network used by broadcasters.



Cell Phones Recalled Due to Poor 911 Connection

In cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, San Diego-based LG Electronics MobileComm USA Inc. is rcalling certain LG 830 "Spyder" cell phones that can have difficulty sustaining a connection or have poor voice quality on calls to emergency 911.

a lightning bolt

Strike Out Lightning Risks

Lightning has proven to be one of nature's most deadly forces. Having the right tools and information can help you significantly reduce the risks and liabilities associated with this common and dangerous threat.

Updates on Safety Equipment PPE Certification Activity

In the midst of changes taking place throughout the health care industry, many OHNs are rightly feeling they are in a whole new profession, which helps explain why organizers of this year's annual AAOHN conference have for months now been plugging the event with the tagline "It's a Whole New Symposium."

Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Day Aims to Protect Employees

Making and keeping the workplace safe and healthful will be the focus of the 18th Annual Downstate Illinois Occupational Safety and Health (DIOSH) Day slated for March 4 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Ill. Workplace safety and health issues will be discussed and information made available to employers, employees and the general public.

Free Hospital Emergency Readiness Webinar Offered

The roundtable at 2 p.m. Eastern next Tuesday features health care expercts on safety, security, and emergency preparedness from hospitals in California, New York, and Louisiana.

MSHA Refuge Alternatives Meetings Start Today

Meanwhile, the agency has promised to adjust its mine rescue teams final rule as directed in a Feb. 10 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

M/V Cosco Busan after it struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

NTSB Meets Wednesday on Cosco Busan Report

When the container ship struck a tower of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on the foggy morning of Nov. 7, 2007, a spill of more than 53,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil fouled beaches along San Francisco Bay.

Warehouse/Distribution Center Faces $123,100 in Fines

After a city fire department reported the site had blocked fire exits and aisles, OSHA began its inspection July 29, 2008.

Lawmakers Reintroduce Combustible Dust Bill

U.S. Reps. George Miller, D-Calif., and John Barrow, D-Ga., have reintroduced a bill to force OSHA to issue a regulation intended to prevent combustible dust explosions. U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, who chairs the Workforce Protections Subcommittee of Miller's Education and Labor Committee, joined them.

an ice storms aftermath

ESFI Offers Electrical Safety Tips for Severe Winter Weather

Communities across the United States are being devastated by severe winter weather conditions that are leaving thousands of people without power. They need to be mindful of electrical and water hazards when power is restored and the ice melts.

Comment Period Extended on Formaldehyde Emissions Rule

To encourage "more complete public participation" on the proposed rulemaking, EPA also has added an additional public meeting that will take place in New Orleans on March 4.

CDC Publishes Inaugural Emergency Response Report

CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (COTPER) has released its inaugural report on CDC activities in public health emergency preparedness, titled Public Health Preparedness: Strengthening CDC's Emergency Response.

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