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It's time to think outside the container when assessing the risks of storing hazardous materials.

It can be hard for an employee to think about a worst-case scenario when drums of flammable liquids have been kept in a corner of the plant's storage room for years without incident.

Convincing top management to expend additional resources to store hazardous materials safely can be even more difficult, especially when there are no accidents to magnify the need to exercise caution, according to Michael H. Ziskin, president of Field Safety Corp. of North Branford, Conn.

"With a material that doesn't do anything and sits there minding its own business, people may look at it and decide there are 20 years of experience with it sitting there doing nothing," Ziskin said. "Experience dictates it's a material that can be put almost anywhere, and nothing will happen to it."

The problem is that a hazardous material -- whether it be flammable, combustible or corrosive -- cannot be stored anywhere. Unfortunately, it may take a worst case, such as a toxic leak or an explosion, to convince managers and workers to focus on the safe storage of hazardous materials. A fire or explosion can result in millions of dollars of damage and claim workers' lives. In fact, improper storage and handling of flammable liquids is the leading cause of industrial fires.

Because of a low probability of an incident, the call for management to base a risk assessment on potential environmental impact and worst-case scenarios can fall on deaf ears.

Ziskin has found that to be the case in his work at Field Safety, a management and educational firm specializing in environmental health and safety. The problem, he said, is that not enough companies take a comprehensive approach to assessing the risks of storing hazardous materials.

Too often, the focus is only on storing materials according to regulations, such as OSHA's 29 CFR 1910 Subpart H and consensus standards like National Fire Protection Association Code 30 for flammable and combustible liquids. Conventional thinking is that, if the rules are followed, there will not be a problem. That thinking, however, can cause a false sense of security.

For safety's sake, it's time to widen the focus, Ziskin said, because no regulation can cover every eventuality. "You've got to get outside the box. You've got to look at how that hazardous material relates to the rest of the world."

To read the full article, click here.

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Current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for general industry are established to prevent injuries and fatalities from contact with hazardous energy [29 CFR 1910.147]. This standard requires employers to "establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, start up or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source, and rendered inoperative."

Workers may be exposed to hazardous energy in several forms and combinations during installation, maintenance, service, or repair work. A comprehensive hazardous energy control program should address all forms of hazardous energy.

NIOSH recommends that employers implement the following steps to prevent injuries and deaths of workers who must work with hazardous energy in their jobs:

To read this full NIOSH report, click here.

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OOSHA recently announced it intends to update its 30-year-old crane standard. Operator training heads a list of changes expected in the revised rule.

It sounds like a classic "man bites dog" story: Industry representatives persuade a somewhat reluctant OSHA to update a regulation. But that appears to be precisely what happened in July, when OSHA took the first step toward revising its construction safety standards for cranes and derricks (29 CFR 1926.550).

The agency announced it would begin accepting nominations for a negotiated rulemaking committee and that it expects the committee to draft a proposed rule within 18 months of its first meeting.

Perhaps even more remarkable for a safety community often stymied by contention, stakeholders appear to agree on what they want in the revised OSHA rule.

Industry Pushes for a New Crane Rule
From computers to hydraulics, crane technology has changed a lot since 1971, while OSHA's crane rule has not. The agency's existing regulation relies heavily on a late 1960s vintage of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B-30.5 standard for crawler cranes.

Unlike a good wine, an ANSI standard does not generally improve with age. That's why the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ANSI's standards developing organization for B-30 standards, continually updates the standards for crane manufacturing, operational procedures, inspection requirements and operator qualifications.

In its announcement that it would update the crane rule through negotiated rulemaking, OSHA pointed to the progress made by the crane workgroup of the Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) as evidence of the ability of stakeholders to reach agreement (see "Crane Rule Update: ACCSH Workgroup Prepares the Field" on page 36).

A mixture of genuine concern for safety and economic self-interest appear to be driving the desire of crane manufacturers, construction companies and others for an updated crane rule.

To read the full article, click here.

Source: Occupational Hazards

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Articles courtesy of Penton Media, Inc. Copyright 2002 All rights reserved.

1. Are You Storing Hazardous Materials Safely?
4. Crane Safety: Why Industry Wants A New OSHA Standard

SetonAlerts for Safety! is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sent with the understanding that Seton Identification Products is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a certified professional person should be sought.


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