What Cheating Fisherman And Improper Hazardous Waste Storage Have In Common
Manufacturers storing raw material from paint to corrosives will face much heftier fines and stiffer “we got you” sanctions – all the way up to temporary plant closures – if storage cabinets don’t meet regulations.
– By Isaac Rudik
As anyone who fishes can attest, getting caught over the limit – whether it’s one too many trout on a line in an isolated, northern lake or a huge trawler netting too many tons of albacore in the middle of the open ocean – can result in a hefty fine and other stiff sanctions.
The idea is to levy a penalty large enough so that fishers loose the value of their catch plus fork over a painful, don’t ever do that again, fine.
Now, improperly storing hazardous materials will trigger even higher fines, and for the same reason
The Ministry of Environment is adopting the same approach as fish and game wardens to penalise companies improperly handling and storing hazardous material. When fully implemented, manufacturers who store raw material from paint to corrosives and other contaminants will face much heftier fines and stiffer, “we caught you red handed,” sanctions – all the way up to temporary plant closures – if storage cabinets do not comply with regulations.
The reason behind the tough, new and potentially very costly tactic is because a leading cause of industrial fires is improperly stored and handled flammable liquids. To minimize the hazard, the government wants businesses to identify and inventory any chemicals in the workplace, storing them in code-compliant safety cabinets. If an inspector finds non-compliance, the days of a slap on the wrist are gone.
Poor Housekeeping Award
There are countless examples of poor housekeeping resulting in spontaneous fires and explosions.
In schools, for example, it is common to find chemicals stored alphabetically – easy for students to find what they’re looking for when doing experiments but also for disaster to strike. In one recent case at a university, diluted solutions of Hydrochloric and Nitric acids were discarded in a waste container. Sometime during the night, the acids reacted with each other, creating pressure from the gases generated.
The pressure was strong enough to destroy the 1-litre waste container kept in a storage cabinet under a fume hood. It also blew the doors off the cabinet, upseting equipment on a counter. Fortunately, nobody was standing nearby when the explosion occurred.
Many businesses commit the same error, failing to properly isolate hazardous materials that can interact and ignite a fire or worse.
Easy Prevention
Storing hazardous material must be done according to Canadian laws and regulations, all of which are Underwriter Laboratory of Canada (ULC) approved, Factory Mutual Canada (FMC) Approved, and National Fire Code of Canada (NFCC) approved.
Proper safety cabinets meet nine other, key criteria.
• Insulated, 18-gauge steel construction, double-walled, with 1½" air space.
• Chemical-resistant finish, inside and out.
• Dual vents with built-in flash arresters.
• Liquid-tight containment sump at least 2" deep, to hold leaks.
• Highly visible warning label "Flammable — Keep Fire Away."
• Easy close or self-latching doors with three-point latches for added fire protection.
• Doors with fusible link mechanism that holds doors open but melts at 165°F for automatic closure.
• Built-in grounding connector.
• Adjustable leveling feet for balancing on uneven surfaces.
There are numerous, UL Canada Aapproved safety cabinets available, each designed to store specific types of hazardous or flammable material. They offer protection against not only potential explosions or fires but also the wrath of a ministry inspector armed with a citation book.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Swine Flu, Workplace Air Pollution And Employee Health: An Inseparable Trio.
Swine Flu, Workplace Air Pollution And Employee Health: An Inseparable Trio.
Swine flu headlines are gone but many businesses are flooded with calls from “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
– by Isaac Rudik
The news media was all agog the last few months over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic sweeping the globe. While much of the coverage was blown way out of proportion – another example of much sound and fury signifying little – it inadvertently highlighted a connection between the H1N1 flu strain, workplace air pollution and employee health. In many respects, they are an inseparable combination.
Even with screaming headlines and yammering jackals on cable news fading into memory, many businesses are still being flooded with calls and visits from so-called “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
Why?
Businesses with adequate air pollution prevention solutions in place are well on their way to having a plan to prepare for a pandemic, no matter how unlikely. The common thread is preventing “bad” air particles from circulating in the workplace and avoiding emitting these same particles into the outside air. There’s just one difference between what companies do to control air pollution and containing the spread of a deadly flu virus: Pollution sources are machines and processes while preventing germs from spreading also involve what employees do.
Easy Steps
The first step is to have an infection control plan in place – just in case. After all, a plant may never have a fire but it has an evacuation plan, and common sense dictates the same for situations such as a wide-spread, possibly deadly, flu.
The first step should be using HEPA filters.
A HEPA filter is easily installed in a workplace. There are available in countless models, sizes and price ranges. For example, Air Exchangers offers models ranging from the very basic to the gold standard deluxe, depending on a company’s specific situation and need. Like all HEPA filters, Air Exchangers offers specific benefits to a company:
• It reduces waste from disposing of used masks and gloves.
• It reduces the cost of buying cases of N95 approved medical mask; each pack contains 20 masks and sells for $199 but there is a six-to-eight week delay because of the swine flu scare.
• Meanwhile, employees work in comfort because they don’t have to wear masks or gloves.
• They’re designed for indoor installation.
• They save operating costs by decreasing electrical energy consumption and reducing the use of heating equipment considerably.
• Most major parts can be replaced within seven minutes, meaning little downtime.
At the same time, reminding workers to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently during flu season is the first line of defence against a workplace being felled by flu.
Beyond The Obvious
Telling workers to wash their hands may seem obvious but few companies bother doing it, figuring adults know how to wash. They may, but they may not wash regularly.
But there are also easy-to-implement ideas that go beyond the obvious.
• Provide hand sanitizers, boxes of tissues and encourage their use.
• Remind staff to not share cups, glasses, dishes and cutlery, and ensure they are washed in soap and hot water after each use.
• Remove magazines and papers from waiting areas or common areas.
• Clean an employee’s workstation if they have an identified influenza
• Ensure ventilation systems work properly.
Whether or not Ontario suffers a swine – or other – flu pandemic during the next flu season, it makes sense to do some simple, low-cost things now to ensure that there isn’t a major problem down the road.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Swine flu headlines are gone but many businesses are flooded with calls from “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
– by Isaac Rudik
The news media was all agog the last few months over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic sweeping the globe. While much of the coverage was blown way out of proportion – another example of much sound and fury signifying little – it inadvertently highlighted a connection between the H1N1 flu strain, workplace air pollution and employee health. In many respects, they are an inseparable combination.
Even with screaming headlines and yammering jackals on cable news fading into memory, many businesses are still being flooded with calls and visits from so-called “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
Why?
Businesses with adequate air pollution prevention solutions in place are well on their way to having a plan to prepare for a pandemic, no matter how unlikely. The common thread is preventing “bad” air particles from circulating in the workplace and avoiding emitting these same particles into the outside air. There’s just one difference between what companies do to control air pollution and containing the spread of a deadly flu virus: Pollution sources are machines and processes while preventing germs from spreading also involve what employees do.
Easy Steps
The first step is to have an infection control plan in place – just in case. After all, a plant may never have a fire but it has an evacuation plan, and common sense dictates the same for situations such as a wide-spread, possibly deadly, flu.
The first step should be using HEPA filters.
A HEPA filter is easily installed in a workplace. There are available in countless models, sizes and price ranges. For example, Air Exchangers offers models ranging from the very basic to the gold standard deluxe, depending on a company’s specific situation and need. Like all HEPA filters, Air Exchangers offers specific benefits to a company:
• It reduces waste from disposing of used masks and gloves.
• It reduces the cost of buying cases of N95 approved medical mask; each pack contains 20 masks and sells for $199 but there is a six-to-eight week delay because of the swine flu scare.
• Meanwhile, employees work in comfort because they don’t have to wear masks or gloves.
• They’re designed for indoor installation.
• They save operating costs by decreasing electrical energy consumption and reducing the use of heating equipment considerably.
• Most major parts can be replaced within seven minutes, meaning little downtime.
At the same time, reminding workers to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently during flu season is the first line of defence against a workplace being felled by flu.
Beyond The Obvious
Telling workers to wash their hands may seem obvious but few companies bother doing it, figuring adults know how to wash. They may, but they may not wash regularly.
But there are also easy-to-implement ideas that go beyond the obvious.
• Provide hand sanitizers, boxes of tissues and encourage their use.
• Remind staff to not share cups, glasses, dishes and cutlery, and ensure they are washed in soap and hot water after each use.
• Remove magazines and papers from waiting areas or common areas.
• Clean an employee’s workstation if they have an identified influenza
• Ensure ventilation systems work properly.
Whether or not Ontario suffers a swine – or other – flu pandemic during the next flu season, it makes sense to do some simple, low-cost things now to ensure that there isn’t a major problem down the road.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
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