Do you have structures with lightning protection?  Is it properly installed?  How can you tell?  While conducting a recent mock VPP audit, IESO discovered that a lightning protection system being installed did not comply with NFPA 780, the Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems.

Down-conductors were exposed inside the structure and improperly bonded to surrounding ground systems, which could have caused a sideflash during a strike.  Anchor points were set in mortar joints,

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.

IESO, LLC recently published an arc flash article (http://iesollc.com/wordpress/2009/06/22/arc-flash-safety-history-and-requirements/) on our website.  We continue to recommend the rigorous analysis proscribed by IEEE 1584, and warn against “quickie” or generic solutions.  This safety alert illustrates a real-world example of why that is.

An industrial facility recently asked IESO, LLC to evaluate arc flash results from another consultant who reportedly used a customized program developed in-house.  The facility management team was concerned about the lack of time that the consultant spent on-site (less than five hours), the minimal review of electrical components and the generic results.  Labels for all electrical components were identical whether for buss plugs, MCC panels or substation switchgears, and the facility staff had serious doubts that they got what they paid for.

It seems the news these days often carries stories about viral, bacterial and related disease outbreaks.  We all hear and worry about the “usual suspects” such as Norwalk Virus on cruise ships (“cruise ship virus”) or whether we can catch TB, flu or other diseases on an airplane (yes).  Even hospitals are not safe from these threats.  Johns Hopkins Hospital had a Norwalk outbreak in 2004, described as “one of at least 24” in Maryland in just the first half of that year.  That incident lasted three months, sent 13 employees to the emergency room or the hospital, and cost JHH over $650,000.  Across the country hospitalized patients are contracting clostridium difficile (c. diff), with up to 438 patients dying every day.

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.

Some insurance companies, for example IF Group (http://www.if-insurance.com/web/industrial/Pages/default.aspx), recently added a “Plastics in Construction” clause to their coverage requirements for industrial clients.  They are concerned about composite panels with combustible isolation materials such as polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (EPS) or polyisocyanureate (PIR), and indicate recent severe losses related to this.

In the case of IF Group, the new clause is still a recommendation, but it looks certain to become a requirement, since they are already referring to it as a “regulation.”  Other Carriers may or may not follow suit, but if they see risk or exposure on the issue, expect them to aggressively manage it with this or a similar tool.  Either way, none of us want plastics fires in the workplace, and those that have seen them especially understand that.

Guidance on the Use of Chemical Countermeasures on Inland Oil Spills

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recognizes the major role of local government responders, such as firefighters, as the first line of defense for mitigating threats to public health and the environment from spills of oil and hazardous substances, and tries to provide them with the tools necessary to safely and effectively mitigate such incidents.  Chemical countermeasures (CCMs) are one of those tools, but their use must be authorized and carefully managed.  This article describes that process where countermeasures are proposed for use on inland events such as fuel spills that may affect navigable waters.  These may include surface waters and conduits to them, including road ditches and storm drains, though the exact definition remains in flux.

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.

On Being an EPA Superfund PRP

CERCLA, more commonly known as Superfund, allows EPA’s Emergency Response Program to take or compel action by others at sites contaminated or potentially contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants, and then recover costs associated with those activities.  Whether an emergency response or a longer-term investigation and cleanup, EPA uses an Enforcement First Policy (EFP) to identify potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to cover the cost of any action underway or anticipated.  The hunt for you will be thorough, and there is a specific 381-page manual to guide it.  There is even a directory of Agency experts (PRP Search Enhancement Team) available to support the effort.