Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Today's article will be all about polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCBs.  But before we begin discussion, what exactly are these?  Well, according to the packet given to us in class, it can be one of 209 chemical compounds where 1-10 chlorine atoms attach to a biphenyl molecule.  These compounds are also called congeners.  These PCBs are oily liquids, and they can be used for many different things.  Some of these things include refrigerators, freezers, microwave ovens, printing inks, paints, plastics, some certain types of adhesives, and much more.  There are some health effects from being exposed to these PCBs as well,  some of which include chloracne, as well as causing burns to the face, skin and eyes.  These PCBs can cause what is known as hyperpigmentation of the skin which is the long version of "color change".  NIOSH considered PCBs to be carcinogens.  Now, as you can see, these PCBs are considered very dangerous to health and safety.  So, they need to be disposed of properly.  PCB remediation waste is any sort of waste that contains PCBs in it, due to any leak or spill.  There are three ways in which you can dispose of PCB remediation waste.  These three ways include self-implementing, performance based and risk based.  Also, you might want to be familiar with a few terms when dealing with PCBs.  A porous surface is a surface that will allow a PCB to pass through it, or penetrate it.  Some of these surfaces include wood, concrete or plaster, cement, or asphalt.  A non-porous surface is an uncoated solid surface that limits any sort of penetration of liquid that might be containing a PCB.  Examples of this include smooth glass or marble.  There are also ways of decontaminating surfaces tat have been exposed to PCBs.  According to the packet there is a list of solvents that can be used as well as different thermal processes that can be used.  PCBs that were in electrical equipment accounted for the majority of all of the PCBs sold in the US.  They contaminate mineral oil, and any electrical equipment made before July 2, 1979 is considered contaminated with PCBs because they were not regulated back then.  The EPA has put regulations on the amount of contamination level that PCBs can be present per  L in drinking water.  It is 5 micrograms per L in drinking water.  In waste water, this level is 100 micrograms per L.  The EPA Spill Policy requires companies to report any spill of more than 1 pound of pure PCB.  Any plant that has in their inventory very large quantities of PCB oil must have a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plan, or SPCC.  Also, TSCA sets regulations for the emitting of PCBs into the air.  This regulation is 10 ppm for companies that are in manufacturing.  If you want to know more about the exposure limits of PCBs and the recommendations, you can visit this site here http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=30&po=8 .  I hope this article was helpful in providing information to you about PCBs and where you can find them and how tot stay safe from them.

Incident Reporting

Today's article will be all about discussing incident reporting and what it is.  So, what is incident reporting?  Well, according to the site https://www.tru.ca/hsafety/incident_reporting.html , there are two different types of incidents.  The first type of incident results in an injury.  The second type of incident is where there is no injury, but had the potential of causing injury.  This is also called a near miss.  A good example of this that this site provides is in a chemistry lab.  Lets just say that there was an experiment happening in lab that was dealing with highly corrosive substances.  Well, if someone were to drop this beaker of chemicals and it shatters on the ground, but the personnel in the lab were wearing the proper personal protective equipment, also known as PPE, they were not harmed by the substance at all.  This is known as a near miss, because even though there was a potential threat of injury occurring to everyone in that lab where the spill occurred, nobody was injured due to the chemical spill.  Another site, http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/incident+report , has another definition of an incident report.  This site defines an incident report as a written document that describes all of the events and care that have been made for a patient.  You should make sure you file an incident report as soon as possible.  This is also called an accident report.  So, what is so important about making sure you file an incident, or accident report?  Well, documentation is key.  Having everything on file is very important to do in order to make sure that you have proof that you have accomplished or accounted for something.  If you don't report something, then no body will know that you have done something or accounted for it.  It is also especially important when dealing with people's health because to have the health effects and health information of an individual on file can be used as great information if there is a problem, or if medical personnel want to know something about an employee.  This site also defines this incident report as an error or unusual occurrence that must be documented.  The site https://nonprofitrisk.org/tools/workplace-safety/nonprofit/c2/policy.htm says that it important to reports accidents and near misses in order to help locate the reason or the cause of the mishap.  This is very important, because if you know the source of the problem, you can fix it so that it does not happen again.  Also, something that can be very helpful is programs that are designed to teach employees about how to remain safe from hazards in the work place so that it does not happen, if it has been happening repeatedly, or to make sure that it does not happen at all.  Incident reporting is all about solving the problem at hand by documentation.  I hope this article was helpful in providing to you some useful information about what incident reporting is, and also why it can be extremely helpful and useful in the workplace. 

EPA AAI Rule Compared to ASTM

Todays blog is going to be about discussing the difference between the EPA AAI rule and ASTM.  First off, what exactly is the EPA AAI rule?  Well, according to the site https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-all-appropriate-inquiries , the AAI stands for "All Appropriate Inquiries"  and it is basically a system of evaluating or checking to see if land, or the environment is contaminated with any harmful substance or multiple substances.  This can be due to a number of reasons, like runoff or what was previously located on the land, like a big plant that produced a lot of waste and discharged it into the environment.  ASTM stands for American Society for Testing and Materials.  According to the site http://www.astm.org/ABOUT/full_overview.html , ASTM is an international organization that is focused on consensus standards.  So, what's the difference between these two?  Well, its pretty simple actually.  The EPA AAI rule is what makes the standards that need to be conducted in a Phase I ESA.  ESA stands for environmental site assessment.  Everything in that rule must be followed.  According to the site http://www.partneresi.com/resources/astme1527-13-standard-phase-i-environmental-site-assessment.php , the ASTM just recently updated a new standard for conducting an ESA in 2013.  The last ASTM standard made was in 2005.  The EPA AAI is the highest power, where the standards are made.  The ASTM makes standards that meet the requirements listed in the EPA AAI.  This may be confusing to some people to understand.  Why look at the land?  What is the purpose of an environmental site assessment?  Well, these assessments are very important when it comes to real estate.  If you are looking for property for any reason, whether it be to build a house or to create some sort of business, it is very important to get an environmental site assessment done in order to protect the environment as well as human health.  Also, this is an important process to have done in order to reduce liability of becoming a PRP, or potentially responsible party.  This is a very serious subject because a PRP could be responsible for damages or health effects of others due to the contamination on their land.  Two new categories to CERCLA were added for the protection of land owners.  The first one is called the Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Defense.  This states that if a landowner who purchases a piece of land and knows it is contaminated will receive liability protection when they can prove that the contamination to the property happened before the purchase of the property occurred.  The next one is Contiguous Property Owner Defense.  This states that the owner of a piece of property will receive liability protection when there is contamination that leaks onto their property from another lot and they can prove that they had no knowledge of contamination when they purchased the property.   These two newest additions make it better for the innocent property owner to not have to take responsibility for contamination to land that they had no idea about.  I hope this article was helpful in providing some information to you about the EPA AAI rule as well as the ASTM. 

Quantitative Fit Testing

Today's article will be all about quantitative fit testing.  What is this exactly?  Well, you know when you see pictures or videos of people working in labs with masks on?  Those masks that those people are wearing need to be tested to make sure that they fit and function properly.  So, there are two types of tests that can be done.  The first is qualitative fit testing.  According to the site https://www.osha.gov/video/respiratory_protection/fittesting_transcript.html , this testing is done by your reaction to smell, taste and irritation.  It is a pass fail test and uses four tests to determine if a mask fits properly.  These four ways include irritant smoke, which will cause you to cough, Bitrex which will leave a bitter taste in your mouth, isoamel acetyl which will smell like bananas and Saccharin which leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.  If any of these symptoms are experienced, then the test fails.  The other type of testing is called quantitative fit testing.  This test uses a hose that is connected to a machine that calculates the leakage of the mask.  If employees need to wear any sort of PPE while on the job, then they need to wear this same PPE during the testing because it may interfere with the respirator.  This testing takes about 15-20 minutes and must be done annually.  Basically, this tests the masks for leaks while the person talks, and moves around while the machine is running.  At the end of the test, the machine gives you the results if the mask is okay to wear.  You should fit test an employee when they are required to wear a respirator while on the job.  This is for safety precautions.  Wearing a respirator protects you from hazards in the workplace.  You may hear the terms fit factor and assigned protection factors, or APF.  These are the numbers assigned to a respirator after a mask has been tested to see if it is acceptable to wear by the employee.  According to the site https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2004/05/Respirator-Fit-Testing-Requirements-and-Procedures.aspx?Page=2 , the fit factor must have a rating of at least 100.  However, the APF only goes up to 50, and incorporates a safety factor of 10.  So, if you want a mask tested by the fit factor to be the same as a 50 APF rated mask then a fit factor of 500 would need to be achieved because the APF has that multiplier of 10.  500 divided by 10 gives you the 50 rating.  So, how does the machine come up with the concentrations to let the user know if the respirator is acceptable or not?  Well, according to the site http://www.moldex.com/healthcare/non-product/fit-instructions/respiratory/fit-testing/qualitative-quantitative.php , the machine takes the concentration of the ambient air outside, and also take the concentration of the particles inside the respirator that may have leaked in.  This ratio of concentrations is what the fit factor is.  So just for a quick recap of fit testing.  Qualitative uses a persons senses to determine if the fit test is successful or not, whereas quantitative fit testing uses the machine to record concentrations of air and compares them to each other in order to find out if the mask is acceptable to wear.  I hope this article was helpful in providing to you some useful information about what fit testing is and how it is done.

Objective of ANSI/ AIHA

Today's blog we will be discussing the objective trying to be reached by the ANSI/ AIHA.  Before we begin, it might help to understand a little background about what each of these are.  Lets begin with ANSI.  What is it?  Well, according to the site http://www.ansi.org/about_ansi/introduction/introduction.aspx?menuid=1 , the ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute.  What ANSI does is create assessment systems and promotes consensus standards for US businesses throughout the country.  They are a non profit private organization, and work with SDOs, which stands for Standards Developing Organizations, to create national consensus standards for businesses.  The AIHA, which stands for the American Industrial Hygiene Association, is an SDO.  According to the site https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/aiha/aiha.html , the AIHA aims to protect and train employees all around the nation on health and safety and to recognize and prevent workplace hazards.  So, the ANSI and AIHA have teamed up to create what is known as the occupational health and safety management systems.  This is also known as OHSMS.  We received a packet in class, which I will be referencing further in this article.  So what is the purpose of this occupational health and safety management system?  Well, according to the packet and information we received, the main purpose of this system is to reduce any occupational injuries and risk.  It is essentially a management tool.  This system is comprised of 5 major components.  I will list these 5 and then go into a little details summarizing each component so you are aware about what each section is.  These 5 components are management leadership and employee participation, planning, implementation and operation, evaluation and corrective action, and management review.  We'll start with management leadership and employee participation.  This section is all about making sure employees are well aware of standards and procedures in order to be safe in the workplace.  The next step, planning, is very simple to explain.  This step is all about making sure that the business is running most efficiently and productively.  The implementation and operation section is probably the most difficult to follow through with in business.  This is because a lot of employees may not want to change their ways of what they do when they work or how they do it, let alone wearing different safety equipment if any.  This can be a big challenge, however it is a very crucial part of the system in order for the business to run smoothly.  Next is the Evaluation and corrective action.  This is where anything is changed if there is a problem, whether that be exposure, or productivity.  The last step, management review, is where the business does an internal audit of its business.  They stick to the guidelines of an actual audit, that way if there is anything wrong they can fix it and know that it is up to code.  So, what is the purpose of this system?  Well, after this article and its information, there can be a lot of answers but to summarize, it basically makes sure that a business is running as smoothly and efficiently s possible.  I hope this article was helpful to you.

ISO Standards

Todays articles will be about three different ISO standards and what each of them describes/explains.  The three standards we will be discussing today are ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001.  Before we begin, some of you may not be aware of what an ISO standard is.  Well, according to the site http://www.iso.org/iso/home/about.htm , ISO is an international organization that stands for International Standards Organization.  It has 161 national members and has published over 21000 different standards.  The standards from this organization ensure quality safety and efficiency and with the same international standards, organizations from around the world can all be on the same page when it comes to workplace safety/efficiency.  So, lets start with ISO 9000, or ISO 9001 since it was recently updated, what is it?  This standard, according to the site http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso_9000.htm , addresses everything involved with quality management.  You may hear this be addressed also as a QMS.  This QMS stands for quality management system.  This standard focuses on different things that quality systems should look at, however, it does not specify any implementation.  The next standard we will mention is ISO 14000, or 14001 since it was upgraded recently as well.  The 14000 ISO series are standards involving the environmental management and responsibilities or organizations, according to the site http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso14000.htm .  What does this mean exactly?  Basically this standard discusses how businesses need to integrate an environmental management system, or EMS, into its operations and standards.  This helps save the environment as well as the people who live nearby because if the environment around a site is contaminated, then there is high risk of health effects to those in the area who may rely on the land for their everyday lives.  This could include water contamination, land contamination and also harm to wildlife.  The last international standard we will be discussing is the 18000 standard.  This standard is also named the OHSAS 18000 standard according to the site http://certificationeurope.com/ohsas-18000-health-safety-managment-standards/ .  Basically, this standard is all about the safety aspect of international standards.  It is essentially an occupational health and safety management system.  All of these standards play an important role in any industry, especially trade across the globe because with these international standards that every body uses, every one can be on the exact same page and know what to expect from other industries around the globe.  So a recap to differentiate these three standards:  ISO 9000 is all about the quality and efficiency od an industry and how t be the most productive and efficient, ISO 14000 deals specifically with the industry and the environment in making sure that the industry is following the environmental management system and following all of those procedures to reduce environmental liability and risk as well as prevent pollution and reduce waste.  Lastly, OHSAS 18000 is all about the occupational health and safety side to industry.  I hope this article was helpful in providing information about ISO 9000, 14000 and 18000 and describing the key differences of each of these International Standards.

Process Safety Management

Today's article will be discussing the Process Safety Management standard issued by OSHA.  There are 14 element to this standard, we will briefly describe each part and what it entails.  So, what is this process safety management standard?  Well, according to the site https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/processsafetymanagement/ , this standard is issued to deal with the hazards associated with chemicals that are highly hazardous.  What are the components?  The 14 components of the standard include process safety information, process hazard analysis, operating procedures, training, contractors, mechanical integrity, hot work, management of change, incident investigation, compliance audits, trade secrets, employee participation, pre-startup safety review, and emergency planning and response.  Lets discuss these steps in a little detail.  All of this information can be found on the site https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3132.html . Process safety information includes having the employee write down all of the hazards associated with the chemicals being used in the process, writing down information about the technology being used in the process and writing down all of the information about the equipment being used in the process.  This is done so that employees understand the hazards because they have had to write them down and know them.  Process hazard analysis is very similar to process safety information.  It is the process of identifying hazards, as well as evaluating and controlling them.  The employer is required to use one or more of many methods listed in this site in order to properly evaluate any of the hazards that are being analyzed.  Operating procedures includes all of the instructions involved in conducting an operation safely in the workplace.  The procedure needs to include the operation phase, operating limits and the health and safety considerations.  Training is pretty self explanatory.  There must be training done by each employee involved in an operating procedure and refresher training must be done every three years or less.  Proper documentation of each employees training record must be kept in order to show that they have received and are keeping up with training.  The contractors part of project safety management, or PSM, is stating that contractors employees are to understand that the PSM requirements and safety procedures apply to them even though they may only be there for a short time or for a specialty job operation.  Mechanical integrity describes how an employer must keep the equipment up to date and inspected regularly to make sure it works properly.  If there are any malfunctions, use on that machinery is prohibited until the problem has been fixed, then further use may continue.  A hot work permit is required to be kept on file until the hot work is completed. What is hot work?  Well according to the site https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/welding/hotwork.html , hot work is when ignitable sources are next to flammable materials.  These include cutting and welding.  This permit is to describe the fire protection and prevention have been implemented before any hot work is done, the date that the hot work is being done on as well as the location  the hot work is being done at.  Management of change discusses the procedures that have been written in order to managing changes made to any procedure.  This can include chemicals or technology changes.  Incident investigation is the process that must occur no later than 48 hours of an incident in order to find the chain reaction of events that happened in order for an incident to occur in the workplace.  A list of personnel and task required in this investigation can be found on the site above.  Compliance audits states that the last two audits must be kept on file, and also that they are being done at least once every three years to make sure that everything checks out okay.  Everything in the audit must be documented.  Trade secrets states that an employer must make all information available in order to comply with the PSM.  Employee participation is done when the employer makes sure that the employees and representatives are being told the information needed to know that is in the PSM.  Pre-startup safety review is when the employer needs to conduct a safety review on a process due to a change in the system, whether that be new procedure or the introduction of a new chemical as well as introducing a new facility into the operation.  Lastly, emergency planning and response discusses that the entire employee population at a plant must be aware of the emergency action plan in case of an emergency.  This includes the disposal of hazardous chemicals.  I hope this article has been helpful in providing information about what the PSM is and what it entails.