It’s time to put on our briefs!
Let’s hope that is the raciest I will ever get here.
Every month, our friends at Professional Safety magazine post some handy safety briefs that are informative and useful for many safety officers in North America. Some are reminders, some are advisories, and some are just specific little tidbits of information. And of course, on occasion, I will tend to follow up on these briefs and share them with you, my loyal readers, in the modern tech parlance of ICYMI, or In Case You Missed It.
![[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]](http://www.safetymatterstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/hazard-via-Wikimedia-Commons1.png)
[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]
New EPA Rules – Shocker!
For those who have followed the workings and shenanigans of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some might think the letters E-P-A are a vicious four-letter word meant for adult audiences. Ohers think it is a wonderfully effective agency at protecting America’s natural resources, including water and land, from destruction.
The EPA will, on occasion, overlap with OSHA, and a couple of new EPA rules are doing just that, if not providing redundancy. OSHA is known for its rules and regulations regarding hazardous materials, and the EPA’s new rules will impact how companies manage hazardous waste.
One rule is specific to the healthcare industry, as it is designed to keep more than 6,000 tons (nearly 13 million pounds) of waste pharmaceuticals from being disposed down a sink or toilet – a rule designed to make drinking and surface water safer for everyone.
I just had to share this because … 13 million pounds of drugs being flushed every year? The mind boggles.
A second rule would make it easier to label hazardsous wate and provie more flexibility to various companies in how they manage hazardous waste.
You can click here for more information abut these new EPA rules.
It’s the Bomb!
While warfare has advanced technologically over the last thousands of years, there are still some weapons from 100 years ago that pose an existential threat in certain parts of the world.
Believe it or not, even 100 years after World War I and 70 years after World War II, unexploded munitions are still found in many parts of the world. As these munitions age, unlike wine, they don’t get better – they actually get even more unstable and volatile and dangerous than they were when they were initially used in those great conflicts.
One particular company, Sterling Global Operations (SGO), reported that it has handled more than 85,000 tons (170 million pounds!) of unexploded munitions just in Iraq and Afghanistan. The company says it still comes across munitions all over the world from various conflicts – even in some places in America.
The company offers some important advice if someone ever comes across any unexploded grendades, bombs or other munitions at a worksite, construction or excavation site: Do not assume that if it’s unexploded that it is a dud; always report any discovery to the proper authorities and have them dispose of it properly. Every type of munition must be handled in a very specific way based on its type, age and where it is discovered (disabling the numition takes into account if it was found in an open field or in the backyard in a suburban neighborhood).
If you ever think a munition is a “dud” and you try to move it or pick it up, you are putting yourself and others at risk, says Nick Iaiennaro of SGO.