The Trump administration’s drive to deregulate the American economy and workplaces means the occupational health and safety profession faces an inescapable moment of truth.
Among the early EHS technology adopters: Bechtel, Turner, Clark Construction, Allergen, Siemens. There are others, mostly Fortune 500 companies. What EHS technologies are they using?
Construction activity in the southern United States is booming. In Texas and Tennessee alone, construction now generates more dollars annually than it did before the Great Recession. In Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, construction spending is rapidly approaching pre-recession levels.
More deaths have been reported, evacuation centers are packed, gas prices are up and the task of assessing the damage from the historic storm has barely begun. Here are a few stories about the storm and its effects:
Explosions and fumes emanating from a flood-crippled chemical plant in southeast Texas sent a deputy sheriff to the hospital and caused local officials to brace for a fire and more blasts at the facility. News sources report that the flooding caused by Harvey knocked out power to the plant, disabling its refrigeration system and allowing the volatile chemicals it stored to heat up and explode.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z358.1 calls for primary stations to be located within a 10-second unobstructed path of the chemical and capable of delivering a 15-minute flush to both eyes with tepid fluid.
A behavior-based safety (BBS) process's focus is on employee behavior during tasks or in reaction to surrounding environmental events- equipment failures, process breakdowns, poor lighting or other work conditions.
My job was on the line. Within minutes after the CEO chewed my ear, I arranged a confidential meeting with the operating company president. I briefed him on the situation, described changes that must occur, and I promised to protect his plant management the best I could.
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