Whether giving or getting arc flash training, have you considered whether the trainer is “qualified,” “effective,” “proficient” or “competent” for the job?  Is the training content “adequate?”  How can we tell?  Does it matter?

Many OSHA standards require employee training, but are vague on trainer qualifications.  HazCom requires only “effective” training.  HAZWOPER specifies that trainers have “the training and/or academic credentials and instructional experience necessary to demonstrate competent instructional skills and a good command of the subject matter.”  The Bloodborne Pathogens standard requires only that the training record include “the names and qualifications of the persons conducting the training.”  No definition of credentials or “effective” training other than by performance failures, i.e., accidents.  “Competent” or “proficient” are often decided by incident investigations or lawsuits.  Remember, paperwork is the first place “they” look!

A Presidential Directive established the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as the “common language” for coordinated multi-agency responses for all Federal, state and local responders, including healthcare.  Hospitals are required by The Joint Commission (TJC) to implement 17 specific NIMS activities ranging from formal adoption to updated EOPs to mutual aid agreements, training and multi-agency exercises.  Coordination, planning and communication are key elements.

In the May 6, 2010 Federal Register, OSHA published a Request for Information (RFI) to collect information from the healthcare industry on “occupational exposure to infectious agents in settings where healthcare is provided.”  This includes hospitals, outpatient clinics, clinics in schools and correctional facilities and “healthcare-related” settings ranging from laboratories that handle potentially infectious materials to medical examiner offices to mortuaries.  OSHA is specifically interested in current infection control strategies and practices and will use the information to “determine what action, if any, the Agency may take to further limit the spread of occupationally-acquired infectious diseases in these settings.”  The deadline for comments is August 4, 2010.  Download our Healthcare Alert for a brief summary.

The 30th annual UNC Winter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL is scheduled for February 14-19, 2010.  The Institute is designed for industrial hygienists, safety and environmental managers, occupational physicians and nurses and anyone else involved in EHS management.  There are about 30 courses covering everything from regulations to healthcare hazmat to environmental health, all eligible for recertification points toward your CHMM, CIH, CSP or other professional certs.

IESO will be there instructing Fundamentals of Environmental Health, and co-teaching two new courses, Managing Hazmat Responses in Healthcare and Environmental Health and Safety Management Systems in Healthcare.

Sekisui in Winchester, KY has passed their certification audit for ISO 14001!  Congratulations to Chuck Bond, the Safety and Environmental Manager, and everyone else on the ISO team for a strong effort in joining nearly 155,000 other certificants in 148 countries.

Philips Lighting in Danville, KY will develop and implement their OHSAS 18001 program using in-part the first-ever Bluegrass State Skills (BSSC) grant awarded for a health and safety management system.  The $25,000 grant from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development was the product of a cooperative effort between IESO and BSSC and their legal department.  Historically the grant program excluded health and safety from eligibility, but IESO successfully negotiated a great outcome for our client.

An IESO client in southcentral KY will develop and implement their ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS), joining world-class operations around the globe in embracing progressive, reliable environmental management.  Luvata – Franklin will be the first facility in their corporation to implement the EMS, and expects real benefits from their new program.

Luvata is a world-leader in metal fabrication, component manufacturing and related engineering and design services, with around 8,000 employees in 18 countries.  The Franklin facility is a leading producer of copper and specialty tubing products for the residential and commercial HVAC industry.

A new bill covering drinking water facility security is being considered by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and will shortly be introduced. Until now, water facilities have been exempt from the requirements of Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), which expires in late 2009. The Drinking Water System Security Act of 2009 will apparently replace or update those requirements and remove the water facility exemption.

The U.S. healthcare industry has only barely noticed ISO or similar internationally recognized EHS management approaches.  Reports are that only a handful of these facilities are accredited to the ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) or the OHSAS 18001 (occupational safety and health) standards.  This is an industry that would benefit greatly from what the rest of us already know — that good environmental, health and safety management systems work, and much better than traditional “catch and release” compliance audits and inspections.

Independent audits and reviews are one very good way of evaluating a program objectively and accurately to determine vulnerabilities and risk. These plans and programs come in many forms and serve many purposes, ranging from EPA and OSHA compliance and Emergency Action Plans to Risk Management Plans, Worst-case Scenarios and Off-site Consequence Analysis to SPCC and RCRA contingency plans.

A related critical risk management tool follows an environmental incident, such as a spill or explosion, and is frequently referred to as an Emergency Response Review or “Hotwash.” Following the review, you may be asked to develop a “lessons learned” or “after-action report” to help do the job better and safer the next time. EPA or other Agencies often require this following an emergency response in which they were involved.