Safety Tidbit 4.31 - Fire Safety-Notre Dame

Safety Tidbit 4.31 – Fire Safety-Notre Dame

Reference: OSHA Construction Standards – 29CFR1926

This week’s Safety Tidbit was written by one of my students, Alec Londino – a junior in the Safety Sciences Program at Indiana University of PA.

In recent news, the Notre Dame Cathedral located in Paris France caught fire in the attic of the structure. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. However, what’s not under investigation is that the safety planners failed to create a fire response plan that was adequate. According to the report, it took a security guard 6 minutes to climb up the stairs to the origin of the fire in the attic. By the time firefighters were notified, the fire had already been going for over 30 minutes.  Fire experts determined that they underestimated how quickly the old oak planks of the cathedral would burn. 

Along with the planks, the fire alarms located within the facility did not immediately alert authorities of the fire. Instead the security guard had to check the alarm before notifying authorities even though the cathedral was covered with multiple fire alarms and heat sensors. Ultimately, the training for the security guards seemed to be inadequate since France requires notification of a fire prior to dispatching emergency services. This is to prevent resource use from false alarms. It’s for these reasons that today’s safety tidbit focuses on fire safety and prevention during construction.

Although EU-OSHA standards differ from ours it’s important to note some of the standards that could have prevented such an event from happening in the United States or at the very least contained it:

 29 CFR 1926.150(e)(1)

An alarm system, e.g., telephone system, siren, etc., shall be established by the employer whereby employees on the site and the local fire department can be alerted for an emergency.

·       Seeing as a fire suppression system would have drowned the building, it’s imperative that their emergency action plan contains direct contact to the local fire department instead of relying on a security guard to alert authorities.

 29 CFR 1926.150(f)(1)

Fire walls and exit stairways, required for the completed buildings, shall be given construction priority. Fire doors, with automatic closing devices, shall be hung on openings as soon as practicable.

·       In this unique instance, fire walls were not installed in the attic. The main reason for this was a risk of mutilating the structure. Instead of providing a safer protection measure, the roof/attic was a total loss.

 29 CFR 1926.150(b)(1)

A temporary or permanent water supply, of sufficient volume, duration, and pressure, required to properly operate the firefighting equipment shall be made available as soon as combustible materials accumulate.

·       When firefighters arrived on scene, hoses could not reach the attic because of the height of the structure. A stand pipe system located near the top of the structure could have supplied the water necessary to fight the blaze without drowning the entire structure. This is increasingly important in this situation because large amounts of oak planks were used to construct the attic/roof.

It’s often easy to look back and point out flaws in the design of fire response plan after the fact. That is why it’s imperative to focus on creating an adequate fire response program. Ultimately, “Fire Feeds On Careless Deeds…”

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.30 - Cryptosporidium

Safety Tidbit 4.30 – Cryptosporidium

Reference: CDC General Information Page

Crypto has become one of the most common causes of waterborne disease (recreational water and drinking water) in humans in the United States. The parasite is found in every region of the United States and throughout the world.  Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by microscopic parasites, Cryptosporidium, that can live in the intestine of humans and animals and is passed in the stool of an infected person or animal. You can become infected after accidentally swallowing the parasite. Cryptosporidium may be found in soil, food, water, or surfaces that have been contaminated with the feces from infected humans or animals.  To make matters worse, the parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time. The outer shell also makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants.

Crypto can be spread:

• By putting something in your mouth or accidentally swallowing something that has come into contact with stool of a person or animal infected with Crypto.
• By swallowing recreational water contaminated with Crypto. Recreational water is water in swimming pools, hot tubs, Jacuzzis, fountains, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, or streams. Recreational water can be contaminated with sewage or feces from humans or animals.
• By swallowing water or beverages contaminated with stool from infected humans or animals.
• By eating uncooked food contaminated with Crypto. Thoroughly wash with uncontaminated water all vegetables and fruits you plan to eat raw. See below for information on making water safe.
• By touching your mouth with contaminated hands. Hands can become contaminated through a variety of activities, such as touching surfaces (e.g., toys, bathroom fixtures, changing tables, diaper pails) that have been contaminated by stool from an infected person, changing diapers, caring for an infected person, changing diapers, caring for an infected person.

Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis generally begin 2 to 10 days (average 7 days) after becoming infected with the parasite. The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, dehydration. The symptoms generally last 1-2 weeks. If you suspect you may have crypto see your physician immediately.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.29 - Calculating Outside Air

Safety Tidbit 4.29 – Calculating Outside Air

Reference: TSI Application Note: TSI-138

As I introduced in the previous Safety Tidbit, carbon dioxide concentration is common indicator of indoor ventilation.  We can measure the carbon dioxide easily enough (I like the TSI Model 7575). Since each of us is a CO₂ generator, how do we determine if there is enough outside air brought in to dilute the build-up of CO₂?

Percent outdoor air (%OA) is the percent of the total volume of delivered air that is outdoor air. There are a few ways to determine %OA such as using sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas or, similarly, measuring the concentration of CO₂. However, I think taking three measurements of CO₂ and calculating the %OA is the easiest (temperature can be use in place of CO₂). The three locations to take the measurements include outdoor air, supply air, and return air.

To calculate the %OA follow:

Where:

Xr = CO₂ concentration in the return air

            Xs = CO₂ concentration in the supply air

            Xo = CO₂ concentration in the outside air

Now all you need to do is take the three measurements. A few common pitfalls to taking readings include:

·      Supply air is mixing with room air

·      Return air is not mixed well

·      Outdoor air measurement is tainted

·      Not enough occupants to generate high enough CO₂ levels

Remember if you have a room where several people will be working for extended periods of time think of their health and measure the carbon dioxide levels during the height of the workday to ensure the HVAC system is performing adequately. Otherwise, your folks could be nodding off on the job.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.28 - General Indoor Air Quality

Safety Tidbit 4.28 – General Indoor Air Quality

Reference: ASHRAE 62.1-2016

The quest for acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) is significant, especially with the design of “air tight” and energy efficient buildings.  Usually this term is applied to non-manufacturing spaces where it is not expected that significant release of toxic contaminants occurs.  Carbon dioxide has become used consistently as an "indicator" of air quality since it will tend to "build up" in spaces that are not provided with sufficient amounts of outside, dilution air.  ASHRAE has recommended that carbon dioxide levels not exceed 1000 ppm above the ambient levels, i.e., those of outside, "fresh" air.

ASHRAE also recommends other guidelines as measures of indoor air quality, among them are volumetric flow rates or outside air per occupant, relative humidity levels, air temperature ranges and maximum air velocities across occupants.  ASHRAE recommends 20 cubic feet per minute of outside air per person in most indoor spaces. They recommend relative humidity should range between 30% and 60%. Winter temperatures should be kept between 68-76 degrees Fahrenheit and 72.5-80 degrees during the summer.

ASHRAE contends that compliance with their guidelines will assure that at least 80 percent of the occupants will be "satisfied" with the air quality.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.27 - Surge Protector vs GFCI

Safety Tidbit 4.27 – Surge Protector vs GFCI

A GFCI works based on current (i.e. the number of electrons), it detects if the amount of current being sent down one wire doesn't match the amount coming back down the other. An imbalance indicates that electricity is probably going somewhere it shouldn't.

A surge protector works based on voltage. If the voltage on a wire gets a lot higher than it's supposed to be then the surge protector will work to prevent that voltage spike from affecting your stuff.

A "ground" is simply a place that a lot of electricity can go. Generally, things that are connected to ground are things that are not supposed to be energized, and the ground works to keep them from being energized if something bad happens. So, for example, if a wire in your stove breaks and touches the metal body, the fact that the metal body is grounded means that electricity will go to the ground instead of trying to go through you the next time you touch it.

In the case of a faulty wire touching the metal body of a toaster, what happens if:

·       You only have a GFCI, no ground, no surge protector.

In this case, I would guess that at the time the wire touches the metal body, nothing happens, but as soon as a human touches the toaster, the electricity will want to go through the human. But, because it won't be going back into the system, the GFCI will cut off power?

·       You only have a surge protector, no ground, no GFCI.

In this case, I guess nothing protects you? The current goes through you, but there's no actual voltage difference, so the surge protector doesn't care? How does the surge protector 'know' to only care about voltage, and not about current? Or: is it that current going through a human won't be too much current overall?

·       You only have a ground, no GFCI, no surge protector.

So here, as soon as the wire touches, the ground gives it a path to follow, so that causes a short circuit and we blow the fuse/trip the circuit breaker as soon as the wire hits?

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.26 - NAICS Codes

Safety Tidbit 4.26 – NAICS Codes

Reference:        U.S. Census Bureau – North American Industry Classification 2017

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was adopted in 1997 as a replacement for the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The NAICS was developed by the USA, Canada, and Mexico to allow for comparability of business statistics among the different countries.

The NAICS is a six-digit hierarchical coding system that is updated every five years so, the most recent listing is 2017. The list begins with twenty, two-digit, top level sectors. The user then “drills” down into the pertinent sector until they arrive at the industry they are looking for, or, at least the closest one possible. 

Recently, I had a client contact me asking if a company’s NAICS code could change and how to record it on their OSHA 300A form. The client asked if there was some authority, they needed to contact to ensure they selected the right code. I explained that they are the best authority to determine what their primary business does and to select the NAICS code that best lines up with their main industry.  Since the client is completing the OSHA 300A, Summary of Injuries and Illnesses, they need to select the NAICS code for the establishment the 300A is relevant to. For instance, if their company has multiple establishments that conduct various parts of the overall process each may fall under a separate NAICS code.  

As validation, if OSHA ever inspects their establishment, they will want a copy of the OSHA 300A form and they will validate the NAICS code. Validating is the compliance officer asking what the primary business at the establishment is and using the U.S. Census Bureau’s NAICS code lookup tool to determine the right code. Which is exactly what the client did to begin with so the two should line up.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.25 - Fake OSHA Cards

Safety Tidbit 4.25 – Fake OSHA Cards

Reference:        OSHA News Release – 2/15//2019

                        OSHA Outreach Training Program

Many of you have attended (or taught) OSHA 10 or 30-hour classes. We use the class as a means to increase our workers’ knowledge of safety and enable them to assist with the company’s safety and health program.

"OSHA's outreach training serves to educate workers about safety issues they will encounter on the jobsite," said OSHA Regional Administrator Richard Mendelson. "Falsifying documents not only undermines the program, it fails to protect workers on the job. OSHA will refer fraudulent activity to the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General, and trainers caught falsifying information will be subject to criminal prosecution."

The OSHA Outreach Training Program was initiated in 1971, and has grown significantly in recent years. The train-the-trainer format expands the reach of the program to increase training availability. Between FY 2012 and FY 2016, more than 3.94 million workers were trained in job hazard recognition and avoidance through the program.

OSHA authorized outreach trainers are not OSHA personnel. Trainers are authorized (not certified) through this program to deliver Outreach training classes. Trainers are independent service providers and their schedules and fees may vary. OSHA recommends contacting multiple trainers to find one that best meets the student's needs. Students may verify the status of an authorized outreach trainer. All authorized trainers must possess a trainer card which includes an expiration date along with the name of the authorizing OTI Education Center.

A Trainer Card shows authority to teach 10- and 30-hour outreach courses and receive OSHA student completion cards. Individuals become authorized by meeting training and industry safety experience requirements. In order to provide flexibility, trainers are allowed to tailor the 10- and 30-hour training topics to meet the needs of their audience. OSHA specifies mandatory topics along with flexible topic requirements for each industry. Trainer courses are offered by the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers. Trainers must update their training every 4 years.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.