OSHA doesn’t have any love for repeat offenders. The federal agency tasked with regulating workplace safety nationwide admonishes manufacturers that create perilous working conditions for employees. Although most OSHA penalties range from $5,000 to $20,000, few approach egregious extremes. While OSHA penalties are administered to underscore worker safety, federal inspectors impose fines for corrective, not…
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OSHA is again playing catch-up with emerging industries and niche markets. With the recreational cannabis movement gaining legislative momentum, federal regulators are now rolling out rudimentary metrics for new safety standards. Although OSHA intervention is limited, cannabis and CBD extraction facilities can expect intensified federal efforts to regulate this growing industry. Marijuana and cannabis operations…
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Doctors always knew that soda is bad for your health, but they never imagined sugary drinks could be so deadly. While soda—or pop—depending on your regional dialect—is as American as bumble gum or cheeseburgers, the refreshing domestic elixir popularized during the Prohibition Era is more hazardous to your health than ever imagined. A chemical explosion…
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Five tornadoes, including three in Oklahoma City alone, damaged several homes and businesses Sunday. Southeast Oklahoma City sustained the most extensive damages, with one funnel cloud coming perilously close to an elementary school. Although students and staff were never under threat, as the storm moved through the region before classes began Monday morning, the growing…
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Chemical incidents invariably exude chaos. Each unexpected chemical emergency begins the same: a surprising discovery of leaking chemicals devolves into pandemonium as hazmat crews spring to action. With fast-breaking news almost conditionalizing the prospect of chemical mishaps nationwide, each critical hazmat emergency can still catch the vigilant off-guard. At the crux of every chemical incident…
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Universities are communities within themselves. Ensconced within the walls of high academia, colleges support a network of infrastructure encapsulating intellectual utopias united in a quest for learning and research. While college campuses, idyllically perched amongst manicured landscapes and gothic modern facades, are bastions of intrigue in wastelands bereft of insight, they are not sheltered from…
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Oct. 7th-13th is National Fire Prevention Week and Oct. 13th is National Home Fire Drill Day. Did you know October is National Fire Safety Month? Although the autumnal month is better known as, “Spooky Season,” October is a crucial time for fire safety in heavy industries and manufacturing. The Bureau of Labor reported fire as the primary…
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Winter is brutal on vulnerable chemical stockpiles. Rapid temperature fluctuations can destabilize sensitive molecular compounds, causing liquid amalgamations to congeal and rendering them useless. Although hazmat flashovers from extreme heat demand more sensational media attention, chemical degradation from the cold compounds logistics and product procurement. While protecting employees and optimizing workflow operations is paramount, product…
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Although oil refineries power America’s industrial core, hydrocarbon production centers pose a multitude of risks to employees and surrounding communities. Negligible petroleum operations can produce fires, toxic air pollution, chemical leaks, and inadvertent personnel exposure. While oil refineries are more commonly associated with the finished petroleum products, other chemical dangerous persist. Onsite benzene, toluene, sulfur…
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If there is a silver lining to infer from the generational transcending destruction from Tropical Storm Helene in western North Carolina, it’s the absence of a coinciding hazardous material incident on the natural disaster bingo card for the region. Cataclysmic chemical incidents invariably follow most natural disasters. Although most storm-stricken residents immediately notice the absence…
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