Fire Safety


OSHA Announces June 28 Web Chat on Combustible Dust

It will start at 1 p.m. EDT. Comments received will help the agency develop its standard addressing dust hazards.

Fort Hood Responders Win Army Award

The Fire and Emergency Services unit, the largest military firefighter contingent in the U.S. Army, received the 2009 award for the large Fire Department of the Year for saving lives during the November 2009 mass shooting incident.

Nominations Held Open for IAFC Awards

June 18 is the new deadline for nominations for several important 2010 awards, including the Safety, Health and Survival Section Awards and the Fire Service Award for Excellence.

33 FDNY Members Complete Counterterror Leadership Training

New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano officiated at their June 7 graduation ceremony with Lt. Col. Reid L. Sawyer, director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

Too many firefighters are dying with lifestyle factors at least partly to blame.

2010 Fire/EMS Safety, Health, and Survival Week Nears

NIOSH is supporting IAFC in promoting it, and more than 20 fire service organizations are helping. This year's theme: Fit for Duty.

This photo from the Kleen Energy site is on the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board page about its investigation of the explosion.

CSB Sets Public Meeting on Kleen Energy Case

On June 28 in Portland, Conn., the investigative board will hear preliminary findings about the gas purging explosion that killed six people Feb. 7 in Middletown and will consider urgent recommendation to OSHA and others.

This photo from the Maytag site shows where the serial number is located in the dishwasher.

Maytag Recalls 1.7 Million Dishwashers

Twelve reports of fires and damage resulting from the appliances’ heating element prompt a major voluntary recall.

OSHA Aims to Train Federal Workers to Private Sector's Safety Standards

The series of half-day seminars will discuss ergonomics, pandemic influenza, indoor air quality, fire protection, and other potential workplace hazards.



IAFC Urges National Confined Space Stand Down

The chiefs' Safety, Health and Survival Section issued the request June 1, saying two similar incidents that nearly killed firefighters demand additional training.

DP Systems, Electrical Hazards on Offshore Panel's Agenda

The U.S. Coast Guard's National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee will meet by teleconference July 1 to consider forming a subcommittee to study electrical hazards in explosive atmospheres.

Crystal Manufacturer Fined $510,000 for Fatal Explosion

"The employer knowingly operated high-pressure vessels even after being warned of the potential for a catastrophic failure due to material design and fabrication defects," said OSHA's Dr. David Michaels. "This simply is unacceptable, and OSHA will use the full extent of the law to ensure the company is held accountable for its actions."

LAFD Ready for 13th Annual 'Hope for Firefighters'

Billed as the largest firefighter fundraiser in the country, this annual event benefits a fund for widows, orphans, and disabled firefighters.

housefire

NFPA: Home Fires Account for 92 Percent of Structure Fire Deaths

The leading cause of home structure fires, civilian fire injuries, and unreported fires continues to be cooking equipment. Forty-one percent of home fires started in the kitchen area and caused 15 percent of home fire deaths and 36 percent of reported fire injuries.

CSB: Unsafe Pipe Cleaning Practices Common Across Gas Energy Industry

“The industry survey confirms that there are readily available safe alternatives to using flammable natural gas for pipe cleaning,” said CSB Investigator Dan Tillema, P.E. “At the same time, a disturbing number of companies continue to use natural gas which creates the serious risk of a fire or explosion.”

Complaint to OSHA Leads to Detailed Inspection for Auto Parts Maker

Following a thorough investigation, the agency issued two willful and 12 serious citations with total proposed penalties of $135,900. The alleged violations include arc flash hazards, insufficient hand protection, and industrial truck training deficiencies.

Shipbuilder Fined $1.3 Million Following Fiery Deaths in Tugboat

"This was a horrific and preventable situation," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. "The employer was aware of the hazards and knowingly and willfully sent workers into a confined space with an explosive and toxic atmosphere."

Har-Conn Chrome Charged with HexChrome, Electrocution Hazards

The Connecticut-based metal finishing company also was cited for not establishing a regulated work area and ensuring contaminated protective clothing remained in the work area, and for not conducting cadmium exposure sampling.

NJ Manufacturer's Sixth Inspection Results in 36 Citations

The 33 serious violations include a lack of training, electrical hazards, inadequate personal protective equipment, failing to implement an adequate hazard communication and respiratory protection program, and failing to properly handle confined spaces.

This CSB photo shows the aftermath of the Little General Store propane explosion in Ghent, W.Va.

Third Ghent Firefighter Dies from Explosion Injuries

USFA announced Lt. Donnie Caldwell, 74, of the Ghent Area Volunteer Fire Department died May 13 as the result of complications from injuries he sustained in the Jan. 30, 2007, propane explosion at the Little General Store.

Tortilla Factory Faces 25 Safety & Health Violations in Texas

OSHA issued citations for, among other things, failing to ensure workers were not exposed to noise levels at or above 85 decimals and to adequately protect employees from exposure to hazardous chemicals such as formaldehyde.

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