G&K Services failed to control air emissions and properly manage hazardous waste materials
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has released a new technical report titled "Chemical Fire in Apex, North Carolina." This report examines the response of the Apex Fire Department, the value of pre-planning efforts, and the impact of a well coordinated response in the worst of conditions.
A public meeting focusing on the draft document's thoroughness and scientific and technical soundness is slated for Jan. 22, 2009 in Cincinnati. Written comments are being accepted from Oct. 15, 2008, through Jan. 31, 2009.
In addition to limiting the radioactive waste dose limit to 15 millirem per year for the first 10,000 years after disposal, the final standard will require the Department of Energy to consider the effects of climate change, earthquakes, volcanoes, and corrosion of the waste packages to safely contain the waste during a 1 million-year period.
"Facilities that use toxic chemicals must provide complete and accurate information about these chemicals so residents and emergency responders are aware of possible chemical hazards in the community," said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems director for EPA's Pacific Southwest region.
EPA said that in August 2007 its inspectors found open and unlabeled containers of hazardous waste at the facility and evidence of a release of used oil, as well as stored containers of hazardous waste without a permit and stored hazardous waste for longer than the 90 days allowed. At the time of the inspection, the company had ceased its pineapple growing operations, the agency noted.
The U.S. Fire Administration has announced the availability of a CD-ROM training package for responding to ethanol incidents, titled "Responding to Ethanol Incidents and Ethanol Fixed Facilities and Assessment Guide." A cooperative effort between USFA and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, with assistance from the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition, this training is intended to address the needs of emergency responders when faced with incidents involving ethanol and ethanol-blended fuels.
The revisions take into account feedback from the private sector and the experience gained since implementing Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) in April 2007, the department said.
The agency's notice, published Thursday, said operators are inconsistent in how they assess and respond to theses anomalies.
NIOSH's former director is one of three experts, along with Newsweek correspondent Howard Fineman, speaking at the Nov. 10-11 event in Arlington, Va.
The Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with Google Earth, released an interactive map Wednesday that identifies thousands of old, contaminated properties that could be reused as renewable energy sites.
The Michigan facility declared an unusual event, the lowest of NRC’s four emergency classifications, when the fire could not be extinguished within 15 minutes. The fire was, however, extinguished 25 minutes after it started, and no injuries or public hazards were reported.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it will update its inventory of industrial chemicals to more accurately reflect the most commonly used chemicals in commerce. The agency wants to update the current Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory as part of its Chemical Assessment and Management Program.
The funds, awarded to the Texas Workforce Commission, will be used to provide temporary employment on projects for the cleanup, demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities and lands within the affected communities.
"This funding will help the New York metropolitan area to acquire equipment, training, and support to further our mission of preventing dangerous radiological and nuclear materials from entering a high-risk urban area."
Charges of six willful and 10 serious citations follow a March 2008 explosion that caused serious injuries to two employees at the facility in Spooner, Wis.
Specifically, the agency proposes to add export notification and consent requirements for spent lead-acid batteries and to revise the existing RCRA regulation regarding the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes for recovery among countries belonging to the OECD, among other revisions.
The new certification exam covers hazmat identification, handling and shipping; emergency planning and response; sampling and analysis; site investigation and remediation; and project management.
Over the past 10 years, the company, which operates 1,632 sites across the nation with approximately 11,900 employees, has been inspected 37 times by OSHA and cited for similar violations.
Construction and renovation projects in office settings can adversely affect building occupants by the release of airborne particulates, biological contaminants, and gases. Careful planning for IEQ and the prevention of exposure during these activities is essential.