Emergency Response


CSB Team to Reach Site of Utah Refinery Fire Today

Four workers suffered serious burns when an explosion and fire occurred at the small refinery Monday evening.

DOT Rule Requires Stronger Railroad Hazmat Tank Cars

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said the final rule will reduce the risk of hazmat spills from train accidents.

a health clinic

Big Changes Coming in NFPA Health Facilities Standard

A major rewrite of NFPA 99 is under way, with proposed changes in the 2010 edition to be up for adoption this June at the NFPA Conference & Expo in Chicago.

USFA Releases Provisional 2008 Firefighter Fatality Statistics

The U.S. Fire Administration recently announced there were 114 on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2008.

DHS Seeks Comment on New Private Sector Preparedness Program

Known as "PS-Prep," the program is intended to raise the level of employer preparedness by making DHS-adopted standards more widely available, among other measures.

Disaster Response Focus of New OSHA QuickCard

Depending upon the scope, complexity, and hazards associated with an incident, FEMA can activate OSHA to coordinate federal worker safety and health resources and technical assistance.

Tyson Foods Inc. logo

Tyson to Pay $500,000 Fine in Hydrogen Sulfide Fatality

The Springdale, Ark.-based poultry and meat producer pleaded guilty today and agreed to pay the maximum criminal fine in the October 2003 death of maintenance employee Jason Kelley, according to the Justice Department.



Notifier Recalls Fire Alarm Control Panels Due to Alert Failure

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Notifier, of Northford, Conn., has announced a voluntary safety recall of about 2,000 Notifier Fire Alarm Control Panels.

$34 Million Available in Emergency Operations Center Grants

The program requires a federal match of 75 percent and a 25 percent grantee cost-share cash or in-kind match.

Fire Safety for Maintenance Operations

Smoke was billowing from the third-floor fire escape stairway of a hospital at 5 p.m. on a Friday. It is a scene I will always remember: Someone pulled a fire alarm, and soon the professional firefighters were dragging hoses as employees responded with hand-held fire extinguishers. Patients were moved to other floors, quickly and expertly. Years of training had come together in a fast facility response.

highway construction flagger

Flagging Hazards Away

Taking extra precautions during temporary traffic control helps workers and motorists alike. Since Nov. 24, 2008, all workers in rights of way of federal-aid highways who are exposed to traffic must wear high-vis apparel meeting ANSI/ISEA 107-2004.

February Workshop to Examine Evacuation of Disabled

The Feb. 3-4 workshop at Washington, D.C.'s Gallaudet University will examine current and needed standards to enhance emergency preparedness for the disabled population.

MSHA's Final Rule Still Allows Belt Air

The agency implements the recommendations of a technical panel that did not urge ending the practice of ventilating sections of underground coal mines via the entries through which conveyors move coal to the surface, although UMWA wanted the practice banned. MSHA also published a final rule today allowing two types of underground coal mine refuges.

Fewer Police Officers Killed in Line of Duty in 2008

Based on their analysis of preliminary data, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors found that 140 officers have died in the line of duty this year, a 23 percent reduction from the 2007 figure of 181.

Gift from EPA: Free Webcast on Oil Spill Prevention, Jan. 13

This four-hour event will cover major topics like SPCC plan basics, integrity testing, applicability, secondary containment, and recent rule revisions and will include a one-hour live question-and-answer session.

Three-Month Extension Allows for Rail Security Training

The Transportation Security Administration extended the effective date of part of its Rail Transportation Security rule to April 1, 2009, to give freight railroads, shippers, and hazmat recipients time to prepare.

IBEW 2008 finalist photo taken by Local 1245 member Kevin Markoe

IBEW Photo Finalists Show Beauty of Electrical Work

The IBEW’s 2008 Photo Contest attracted about 100 submissions, with 15 selected as finalists for members' online voting that will end Dec. 31. This finalist photo from the contest site was taken by Vacaville, Calif. Local 1245 member Kevin Markoe.

'Death Map' Provides Useful Emergency Planning Tool

University of South Carolina geographers have produced a map of natural-hazard mortality in the United States that gives the likelihood of dying as the result of natural events such as floods, earthquakes, or extreme weather

MSHA Lists Communication Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines

Fully wireless communications technology won't be ready or technologically feasible by June 15, 2009, when the MINER Act requires operators of those mines to have submitted a plan to use it, so MSHA's letter explains what will work.

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