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Working in an extreme cold environment presents risk of cold stress to anybody exposed to cold. While some cold-weather dangers are obvious, others are harder to recognize. When you must work in the cold, it is important that you be prepared and be aware.
To learn more about the hazards of extreme cold environment and how you can protect yourself, please visit the NIOSH webpage on the subject.
SECONDARY CONTAINMENT
If you do an internet search for secondary containment, you get results from flammable storage cabinets to drive through berms. The idea of secondary containment is that if the primary container leaks, the liquid will be held by the secondary container.
This is a very important issue when large amounts of hazardous chemicals are stored in areas where a leak could occur and the material could enter a sanitary sewer line. Places such as maintenance areas for HVAC contain chemicals that need secondary containment.
Secondary containment is also required for liquid hazardous wastes. In the satellite accumulation area, secondary containment should be employed. If a chemical leaks, the secondary container will keep it from running out on the floor or into the nearest drain.
Cabinets in laboratories that do not have built-in containment are another place where secondary containers can be employed. Make sure that the secondary container is compatible with the liquid it is supposed to hold. Something as simple as a polyethylene container may be sufficient.
Secondary containment is more than a good idea. We can receive a notice of violation for failure to prevent a release of hazardous material. If you need help with choosing secondary containment, contact Vanessa Biggers, Chemical Safety Manager at 678-797-2415.
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Are you in Compliance?
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A question often asked. Those four-words are used to indict bureaucracies for the inevitable inefficiencies created by policies and regulations. All of us can easily come up with examples of well-intentioned policies or regulations that provide significant time or labor commitment well beyond what seems to be warranted. In our capacity as the campus liaison with governmental regulatory entities, EHS expend considerable effort to determine applicable regulatory requirements and develop programs to ensure overall compliance.
Comments often received are that our requirements are more stringent than those at other USG institutions. Our programs are based primarily on safety considerations and regulatory compliance, but they are also heavily impacted by previous experience with regulatory inspections and reports of similar inspections at other academic institutions. In some cases, there are unique state and local requirements or other factors that impact our programs.
EHS does quite a bit behind the scenes to make regulatory compliance easier for campus researchers. If you are working with pretty standard materials that have fairly common potential hazards, you will likely find the programs not particularly burdensome. However, if your work involves unusual or uncommon materials that present special hazards, you may find more restrictions that you deem overkill.
Examples of issues that can be more challenging are: production of mixed waste (hazardous due to both chemical and heavy metals). In such cases EHS will work with you to try to develop procedures to allow your work to proceed in a timely manner. We are most likely to develop timely, appropriate solutions if you contact us with good advance notice rather than if you contact us at the last minute.
Accidents and regulatory violations can be very disruptive to campus activities. For the past 10 years, KSU has had a good record in this regard; however, we cannot become complacent. All one needs to do is read the news concerning EPA increased enforcecement activity around the country.
I encourage you to work with EHS as a resource to minimize the negative impacts and scrutiny that could occur. Please contact any of our staff for compliance related guidance.
See you around campus!
Gerald C. Donaldson, REM
Executive Director-EHS
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Parking Space Management: Remove a Spot & reduce global warming? |
"Parking management is a critical and often overlooked tool for achieving a variety of social goals," according to a new study released Wednesday by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy in New York.
The study cited improved air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced traffic congestion, improved road safety and revitalized city centers as the key benefits of parking reform.
Those benefits have been achieved in various European cities through a mixture of public policies, regulatory tools and physical design attributes, the study found. In Amsterdam and certain boroughs of London, for example, drivers pay more to park cars that emit higher levels of carbon dioxide. In Hamburg and Zurich, every new off-street parking space that is built is matched with the removal of one on-street space. In Madrid, physical barriers are used to prevent parking in pedestrian pathways. In Copenhagen, parking spaces have been eliminated and repurposed into bike paths.
Other tools in use across Europe include increased parking fees to reduce parking space occupancy and the need for cars to cruise around searching for spaces; taxes on employers for each parking space available to employees; and limiting the number of parking spaces developers are allowed to build.
"What’s happening in China and India and many other rapidly urbanizing places is they are simply copying the model of the U.S. that has dominated urban development for the last 60 years," said Michael Kodransky, global research manager for the nonprofit group and co-author of its report, "Europe's Parking U-Turn: From Accommodation to Regulation."
"What we found through this work is that Europe was on a very similar trajectory, but it started to shift away from just catering to increased demand. For a long time there was a connection between economic prosperity and motorization, and in Europe there's been a shift. Cities that are doing quite well are moving away from just catering to car access."
-- By Susan Carpenter
January 20, 2011 | 11:20 am
Photo: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
Winter Driving TIPS
This winter season has been rough on drivers. Cobb County was one of the hardest hit areas in Georgia. Many of Metro Atlanta roads were covered in ice ¾ of an inch thick during the January winter storm. There were hundreds of reported accidents and thousands of 911 calls around the city. If you have to go out in icy conditions, here are some tips to help keep you safe.
Driving Safely…
- Clean off the top of your vehicle prior to getting on the road. Falling ice and snow while driving can affect other motorists causing unexpected results.
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow three times more space than normal.
- Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off of the brake.
- Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills
If your rear wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the accelerator
- Steer in the direction you want to go. Steer opposite of the skid. If the car is sliding left, steer right.
- Pump non- ABS brakes gently. For ABS brakes, apply steady pressure.
If your front wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
- As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. Steer the wheel in the direction you want to go, then put the transmission in drive and accelerate gently.
If you get stuck…
- Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you deeper.
- Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
- Lightly accelerate and ease your car out. Heavy acceleration can lead to engine and transmission failure.
Bonus tip: Kitty litter is an excellent resource in icy and snowy conditions. Purchasing a small bag and leaving it in your trunk can be very helpful. If you are stuck, you can use the litter to gain traction. Pour the litter in the wheel’s path and it can help you out of a jam. It’s cost effective and efficient.
Sources: National Safety Council, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Washington State Government Information & Services.
www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafetytips/snow.html www.wsbtv.com/weather/26398414/detail.html
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