Forty-two people were injured, many of them critically, in an explosion at Imperial Sugar Co.'s refinery near Savannah, Georgia, the company's biggest.
There were about 100 workers in the area, of whom ``five or six'' are still unaccounted for, Captain Matthew Stanley of the local fire department said by telephone today. Imperial Sugar, the U.S. maker of Imperial, Dixie and Holly sweeteners, said in a statement that the blast happened at about 7 p.m. local time yesterday and the Port Wentworth refinery is shut.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=14597
OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "A combustible dust fire and/or explosion is a potential hazard to America's working men and women. This instruction will be a valuable resource for those who inspect industrial facilities in the United States."This all sounds good doesn't it. The Chem Board told OSHA in November 2006 that it really isn't doing anything to address the explosive dust hazards.
http://www.chemsafety.gov/index.cfm?folder=recommendations&page=details&ReportID=32
Let's look a the fact since November 9, 2006.
- 99% of the CSHOs have not had any training in the hazards of combustible dust.
- The NEP on combustible really hasn't gotten off the ground.
- There has been only about 3 total outreach sessions to companies affected on the topic.
- Only one OSHA Training Institute class cobbled together in December was held to mixed reviews
- Most OSHA offices do not any NFPA standards related to explosive dusts. It must be ordered and you might get it in 6 weeks.
- The Hazcom standard revision to ensure it covers combustible dust hazards has been stalled by Fook.
- The use of the bully pulpit by Fook to reach out to industries affected by explosive dusts is nonexistent, because he is in hiding and refuses to meet with the media.
- OSHA has no plans to have anyone trained to be certified in the National Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator , yet the Chemical Safety board has investigators with that Certification
- OSHA only has a handful of people with the NFPA Certified Fire Inspector certification
- Fook has stalled profession development to learn about this issue by chastising those people and their bosses wanting to keep certification and attend the professional conferences to get certification points.
Fook must go. He has not responded to this major issue. People are dead and dying from combustible dust explosions. How many more must die?
Congress must give OSHA 20M to get its staffing up and train people in the hazards of combustible dust, 70E, refineries, diacetyl, and certification in safety and health.
We cannot continue to limp along like MSHA before the Sago mine disaster. We got less money than last year. We are at an all time low for CSHOs.
We need the head of OSHA to be a safety and health professional respected by the companies, CSHOs, and professionals. Fook's claim to fame was that he was OSHRC head. He got that from being a successful fund raiser for the Republican party. We cannot continue to have a political hack in charge. Things must change at the top.
Congress must act now.
11 comments:
I'm a science writer for the Associated Press who has written about lax govt safety enforcement (google me and mine safety) and is doing quick story (and later ones) on this. Can you call me asap? Seth Borenstein, AP, 202-641-9454; sborenstein@ap.org; non-AP e-mail: cubdadreporter@gmail.com; cell: 202-841-4530.
From an AP report today...where is OSHA?
...Workplace disasters involving combustible dust have been a concern for federal safety officials for years.
In a November 2006 report, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which investigates industrial chemical accidents, recommended that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issue a comprehensive combustible dust standard for general industry.
A posting on the CSB Web site Friday said the 2006 recommendation was still open. An OSHA spokeswoman did not immediately return a call Friday seeking comment.
The plant's last inspection by the state Department of Agriculture was Oct. 30, 2007. Records show it was cited for two violations, one involving an opening in a packing room area that could allow for pests to enter and another related to buckets used for packing molasses in a warehouse not being properly protected....
Where do you get all your facts and figures? Especially concerning 99% of the CSHOs have not had any training in the hazards of combustible dust,There has been only about 3 total outreach sessions to companies affected on the topic,Most OSHA offices do not any NFPA standards related to explosive dusts.
I'm all for change and would like to develop an awareness in my local region. But it would help if you provided references for all the above statements. Unless that is...you work at OSHA and are providing valuable inside information that could jeopardize your job.
Regards,
Watermon
Regarding OSHA Training Institute classes that have been conducted on combustible dust hazards.
I went to the OSHA site on the list of OTI classes and don't see such a class listed
http://www.osha.gov/fso/ote/training/edcenters/course_list.html
Take heed. We can't keep chasing after the hazard du jour. Diacetyl? Diacetyl? Artificial popcorn flavoring vapor? Think risk. How many cases of occupational exposure? How severe is the risk of occupational inhalation exposure? Fry the bigger fish. Think Cr(VI). Think HCHO. Real risks. Real concerns.
When we play catch up, we lose sight of our program. Have faith that we are on the right track. We analyze risks, we keep our collective fingers on the pulse of proven occupational hazards and we go after them. We can not be misdirected to overplace emphasis on recent calamities. By doing so, we might miss tomorrow's. Protection is all about anticipation. When we fail to eagerly anticipate tomorrow's disasters and prevent them, and instead, play catch up with what happened yesterday, we erronously throw our energies and resources at the past. Yes, we live and we learn, and we should never forget. That is what improves. Reaction to failings and subsequent finger pointing steals away from our vision.
Watermon - the 99% was a guess based on talking with everyone.
Cowboy - hexchrome > diacetyl
Kane,
Really enjoy the OSHA Underground site. I've learned quite a bit since reading all the posts. I called the OSHA Directorate of Enforcement Programs today and found out, like you mentioned, there has only been one OTI class on combustibles and another class planned for May.
I don't see how the Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program can be energized without the proper training of the CHSO's. This is definitely a funding issue that has to be pursued by Congress.
Like you mentioned earlier, another $20 Mil is needed in the 2009 Fiscal budget for a nationwide comprehensive OSHA Combustible Dust Program.
Additionally, I see that the current MSDS (over 200) have to be amended with the proper physical properties of MEC, MIE, etc. We currently have workers and employers in the general industry that have no idea of the hazards they are dealing with on the shop floor.
Link to physical properties:
http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/sugar-dust-probable-cause-tragic-explosion-1
Thanks again for the superb post and excellent information on the current state of affairs at OSHA due to upper political management inadequacies Seems like Congressman Miller should of read your post instead of sending that urgent letter to the Secretary of Labor after the Imperial Sugar tragedy.
That would of answered half his questions concerning the current state of affairs regarding a comprehensive combustible dust program that OSHA should of rolled out earlier.
WE are chasing after the soup de jour. In a way, we become a reactive vs. preventive one.
Something is being done.
www.combustibledusttraining.org
Why is there only Sixty-four industries that are at risk, of the total 427 NAICS in manufacturing sector, mentioned at www.combustibledusttraining.org site ?
What about the over 50% of national industries that had combustible dust related fires and explosions in 2008 that are not amongst the ones referred to in the OSHA Dust NEP?
Additionally, how come the hperlink on the site to see what types of materials can create a combustible dust hazard has omitted paper dust?
The Susan Harwood Training Grant program is great but it needs to include the current combustible dust hazards instead of relying solely on content that was developed over two years ago from incomplete data concerning the probability of occurrence.
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