Do you know where your chemicals are?

Countdown to National Healthy Schools Day April 30

Resources for Schools

Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Washington

Art Chemical Hazards
School Chemical List
Hazardous Chemicals in Schools
Proper Disposal of School Chemicals 

Rehab the Lab

 

Bring the Lessons of the 1937 Texas School Explosion to Your School.

2013 Healthy School Heroes

Heroes Linda Stroud and Janet Hurley

 Inspiring Nominees  Aimee Code and John Gann

“Developing a Chemical Safety Plan: Tips for Reducing Risk”

Facility Masters Series Webcast, Thursday, September 27 from 12:00-1:15pm EASTERN. http://www.facilitymastersonline.com/webcasts/

• A PDF version of the presentation from this webcast
• Chemical Safety Related Documents shared by our speakers
• All our previous webinars in the Facility Masters Series

Learn how to improve safety and protect students, teachers and staff from chemical threats with an effective chemical management plan.

In this webinar, you will learn chemical safety standards and best practices that will help you:

• Prepare a written chemical management plan
• Conduct and document a chemical inventory
• Establish a chemical storage system
• Identify and train a chemical coordinator
• Recognize and eliminate chemical safety and storage hazards
• Create a culture of safety in managing chemicals
• Establish preventive maintenance activities to manage chemical safety long-term
• Educate administrators, maintenance/custodial staff, teachers and students

Additional chemical safety best practices are available at www.facilitymastersonline.com/resources.

FACILITY MASTERS WEBCAST
A chemical safety plan is essential to mitigate the risks of the many hazardous chemicals that are necessary for student learning programs and custodial maintenance.

You need a program in place to uncover and manage potential chemical dangers, as well as safely utilize and store chemicals.

Join a FREE, interactive 75-minute webcast to learn how to improve safety and protect students, teachers and staff from chemical threats with an effective chemical management plan. You’ll hear industry experts discuss how conducting a thorough chemical inventory and following proper storage procedures can help you identify and minimize chemical hazards.

Developing a Chemical Safety Plan: Tips for Reducing Risk
Thursday, September 27
12:00pm-1:15pm EASTERN
Register Now!

In this webinar, you will learn chemical safety standards and best practices that will help you:

Prepare a written chemical management plan
Conduct and document a chemical inventory
Establish a chemical storage system
Identify and train a chemical coordinator
Recognize and eliminate chemical safety and storage hazards
Create a culture of safety in managing chemicals
Establish preventive maintenance activities to manage chemical safety long-term
Educate administrators, maintenance/custodial staff, teachers and students
Register now for this free webcast: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/3wsx6f2653j4

Presenters are:

Becky Wehrman-Andersen: Owner – Hazardous Materials Consulting
Roger Young: Executive Director – Facility Masters
Justin Turner: Applications Specialist – SchoolDude.com
Can’t join us on 9/27? Register anyway and receive the webcast recording via email.

Click or copy and paste the below link into your internet browser to register:
https://cc.readytalk.com/r/3wsx6f2653j4

This Facility Masters webcast is sponsored by your friends at SchoolDude!

For additional resources on improving chemical safety, PM and the learning environment, visit the Facility Masters Resource Library and the SchoolDude Resource Library.

12 Principles of Green Chemistry

Beyond Benign: Green Chemistry Education 

Green Chemistry is the science of creating safe, energy efficient and non-toxic products and processes and offers a concrete path towards solving the environmental problems our society faces today.

2011 NSC Congress & Expo

The National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo is the world's largest annual safety event serving the environmental, health and safety professions. It provides an opportunity for safety professionals of all experience levels to share ideas, trends and best practices to propel their organization forward. The 2011 NSC Congress will be held on October 30- November 4, 2011 and the Expo will be held on October 31- November 2, 2011 in Philadelphia, PA.  

Conference website

2012 NSC Texas Safety Conference & Expo 

The National Safety Council Texas Safety Conference and Expo (NSC TSCE) provides an opportunity to share the latest developments in safety issues, trends and best practices. The 2012 Conference will be held from March 18-20, 2012 in Galveston, TX.  

Conference website

 

'Model workplaces' not always so safe  www.iwatchnews.org Workers at plants billed as the nation’s safest - and thus exempt from some inspections - are dying in preventable accidents: explosions, chemical releases, crane accidents and machinery-related crushing and asphyxiation.

EG: Is a culture of silence reinforced when government authorities and employers cooperate to paint an overly rosy picture of conditions and attitudes that, in reality, put people at risk? 

 

Where do people learn to ignore safety?

CSB: DuPont needs to 're-examine' safety practices. DuPont Co. rejected affordable plant and equipment upgrades, ignored near-miss incidents and violated the chemical giant's own widely touted safety guidelines in failing to prevent three January 2010 accidents that left one Belle plant worker dead, according to a report issued Thursday. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia.
http://wvgazette.com/News/201107070326

Phosgene leak could have crossed river, CSB says. Dangerous levels of the poisonous chemical phosgene may have escaped the DuPont Co. Belle plant and drifted across the Kanawha River as part of a January 2010 leak that killed a DuPont worker, federal investigators revealed Thursday. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia.
http://wvgazette.com/News/201107070743

2011 Healthy Schools Hero Dr. Dwight Peavey

Every year, to mark the anniversary of the March 18, 1937 Texas School Explosion, I salute a Healthy Schools Hero whose extraordinary responsibility and inspirational leadership is dedicated to eliminating explosives and other chemical hazards and unhealthy conditions in schools.  

The March 18 Healthy Schools Hero Award is an annual call to tell the story of the worst school disaster in American history as a case study and cautionary tale.  By example, each Hero is an inspiration to break the silence about school hazards and bring the Lessons of the 1937 Texas School Explosion to today’s schools.  

The 1937 story needs telling because the decision-making and false economies that led to the 1937 explosion are too common in schools today.  We have widespread school design, building and operations problems, warnings are unheeded, no one takes responsible for safety, and explosives and other hazardous materials and unhealthy conditions in labs, classrooms, closets and storerooms are routinely ignored.  

The 1937 explosion resulted in a law that required adding a warning odor to natural gas thus saving millions of lives all over the world.  However, other important recommendations of the 1937 Court of Inquiry have yet to be used so that schools are teaching safely and teaching safety to students in 21st century schools.    

Meet the 2011 Healthy Schools Hero 
Dr. Dwight Peavey

2011 Hero Dr. Dwight Peavey Testimonies

Peter Swanson, Former Teacher and Department Chair at Quincy High School
Robert Czerwinski, Acting Fire Chief in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Peter Swanson, Former Teacher and Department Chair at Quincy High School writes:

I took over as Department Chair of Science at Quincy High School five years ago.  I heard Dwight speak to a group of department heads south of Boston.  When he finished I raced to speak with him because we had a mess on our hands.  The Department had collected chemicals and supplies for I would guess 50 years or more and we had no money for disposal.  He told me that he would visit the school, make an assessment, talk to the principal and then give me an action time line. 

During the summer he and his crew cleaned up our science facilities and then went to the other High School and the middle schools to clean up there.  Dwight and I developed a wonderful professional relationship.  I advocate for his program when attending conferences.

Because of Dwight's commitment to Green Chemistry, he helped us get funding for a BeyondBenign summer program.  Never in my thirty-year career have I ever been involve in such a powerful program.  Half of the students were going into their junior or senior years and the others were incoming freshmen.  The impact on those seniors has been incredible as they all headed of to college in some phase of science or technology.  One of the seniors is at Boston College as a freshman and chemistry has been a breeze for her.  A second girl is at Simmons College and the Department Chair at Simmons told me that they have never had a freshman so on track in chemistry since he has been there.  Our incoming freshmen at the time will now be juniors.  They are all at the top of the class.

It becomes so simple.  Dwight saw a program with potential and he trusted what he saw.  He worked hard to fund it and then in his Dwight Peavey way, he stepped back and smiled.  He knows what works.

None of this inspiration would have come to me, the teachers in the program or the turned-on students if Dwight hadn't stopped me at the NSTA Convention in Boston a few years ago and said, "Hey Peter, I think we can do something special at Quincy High School for your science program."

Robert Czerwinski, Acting Fire Chief in Pittsfield, Massachusetts says:

“Dwight has been wonderful, top caliber. I first met Dwight at a Massachusetts Hazardous Materials Technical Conference and learned how he worked with schools.  His presentation was engaging and entertaining. I could have listened to him all day. We were excited when he came to help Pittsfield Schools.  Five members of the Fire Department Inspections Bureau observed his process and we all hold Dwight and his team in the highest esteem. It gave us a better awareness of chemical safety issues in schools – especially chemical storage -- and helped us to become a local resource, getting involved in improving areas of school safety that previously may have gone unnoticed.  State regulation require quarterly inspection but now, in addition to checking routine items, we also check emergency showers, check storage cabinets looking for signs of leaks and spills, and look for problems such as materials left out on counters and proper labeling. 

Czerwinski encourages other schools not to be afraid of asking for help.  “Welcome them in with open arms.  Peavey’s team is here to help.  In a time when budgets are shirking, this is one program that brings benefits four-fold to the community.  The state doesn’t have the program or the resources. If you had to call in a Hazardous Waste Contractor it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Getting smart about pipeline safety

NRDC Report

Evaluate the need for new U.S. pipeline safety regulations. Older safety standards designed for conventional oil may not provide adequate protection for communities and ecosystems in the vicinity of a DilBit pipeline. The Department of Transportation (DOT) should analyze and address the potential risks associated with the transport of DilBit at the high temperatures and pressures at which those pipelines operate and put new regulations in place as necessary to address these risks. READ MORE www.pstrust.org


The entire report can be download by clicking here

Natural Gas Safety Awareness Can Mean the Difference Between Life and Death

A Leading Energy Company Reminds People Safety is Key Following Deadly Pennsylvania Gas Explosion

Read full article: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=213805

... "This terrible tragedy in Pennsylvania illustrates just how deadly natural gas can be," says Jeffrey Mayer, President and CEO of MXenergy, one of the nation's fastest growing independent energy providers. "Natural gas provides an important and invaluable service but it is equally critical that we treat it with respect and always use the upmost care when dealing with it in any capacity."

Natural Gas Safety Tips

Use Your Nose: If you smell even the slightest odor of gas leave the area immediately and call your service provider or 911 from a remote location. Do not waste time or use anything that can cause a spark, such as a cell phone or even a garage door opener

Regular Inspections: Have all gas appliances, furnaces, chimneys, vents and gas lines regularly inspected and maintained by a certified professional

Keep Areas Clear: Keep all areas surrounding appliances and equipment unblocked to allow for clear airflow

Look for the Blue Flame: Check all pilot lights and burners for a steady blue flame. The only exception is gas fireplaces which sometimes have a yellow flame

Dig Safely: Always call your local provider before you begin digging to avoid hitting an underground pipe and causing a leak

Store Properly: Never set flammable material close to any gas appliance or equipment

Properly Maintain Your Meter: Don't allow frozen rain or ice to build up on your meter. Use a broom (never a shovel) to clear ice and snow

Signs Of Trouble

Listen: A hissing noise near a pipeline or building is cause for concern. Immediately call your local service provider

Look: Dead or distressed vegetation above a gas main is another cause for concern and should be reported

Sniff: Any hint of natural gas odor inside or outdoors is cause for immediate action. Quickly leave the area and then call your provider or 911 for help

Just Say Know: Getting Mercury out of Schools

Getting Mercury out of Schools ppt
http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/schools/ReducingMercuryinSchools.pdf
More resources:
http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/schools/

San Bruno pipeline called 'tip of the iceberg'

San Francisco Chronicle, Jaxon Van Derbeken, Eric Nalder, Chronicle Staff Writers © 2011 Sunday, January 30, 2011

San Bruno blast a 'wake-up call' thousands of miles of untested natural gas pipelines across the u.s. are at a great risk of failure than regulators maintian, experts say. 

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/29/MNN41HDP4A.DTL#ixzz1CckxYZoW

Lessons of the Challenger Disaster

Keeping quiet about a problem can lead to disastrous consequences. Study these lessons. Break the silence.

As many safety heroes know, it often takes enormous persistence and courage to take leadership for safety...and overcome indifference to a wide range of health and safety issues.  See Feed Your Heroic Imagination

Deadly space lessons go unheeded  Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia tragedies have much in common, By James Oberg NBC News space analyst  ..."But the internal hazards -- what investigation boards have called the "flawed safety culture" -- have proven much more insidious. This is the realm of convenient assumptions, of complacency, of willfulness, of use of statistical superstitions, of a false familiarity with an unblinking foe. It is a culture made possible by an all-too-human aversion to facing unpleasantness. It has become easy to look away from these horrible space disasters -- and I never call them "accidents," a term that relieves the people involved on the ground of ultimate responsibility.

See Eliminating Cultures of Silence  "Sadly, before each disaster, stake holders saw clear warning signs for catastrophe and yet they said nothing. Trends show that similar cultures of silence proliferate in organizations across the country....The good news is that organizations who successfully handle these five issues transform cultures of silence into cultures of honesty and effective communication—eliminating potential catastrophes and saving lives."

Teachers who enforce safety rules not only avoid accidents in school but they give their students the skills and attitudes necessary to safeguard their future families and co-workers and "to live safer healthier longer lives."  (Jim Kaufman, Lab Safety Institute) 

... Silence begets silence. The bigger the silence, the more powerful it is. Silence can become so  all-encompassing that one is not even aware of it.  In such instances, entire constellations of thoughts, questions and conversations simply do not arise.  Or, if they do, the pervasiveness of the silence makes them seem dangerous. Perhaps the last person who tried to break the silence got in trouble, perhaps she became a pariah, perhaps she lost her job. --  Beyond Erin Brockovitch By Sonja Biorn-Hansen, in Rachel's Environment & Health News #815, http://www.rachel.org/?q=en/node/6438.  Sonja Biorn-Hansen an Environmental Engineer with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

"...those normally charged with protecting a school from liability (and its occupants from harm), ...may not be familiar with the scope of the risks. Too often, people with only a cursory understanding of the issues will consider themselves experts. Familiarity may also be surprisingly limited among those to whom a school generally turns for advice on health issues, such as school nurses, industrial hygienists, HVAC companies, consulting firms and health departments ...More often than not, they will under-emphasize the risks and over-emphasize the costs (and the inconveniences) of responding to a perceived problem."  "Legal Aspects of Pollution in Schools," Earon Davis, The Healthy School Handbook, National Education Association, 1995.

Press Release: New Data Shows Schools Ignore Children's Health: Groups Urge Action by EPA and States    Healthy Schools Network Executive Director Claire Barnett warns, “Parents are stunned when they discover schools have known about environmental factors affecting their child and have done little or nothing. Then they learn that no agency responds either. Every effort should be made to intervene when children are in harm’s way.”

Bring the Science of Chemical Safety to Your School 

Leadership in Science: Teaching Safely and Teaching Safety

Bring the Science of Chemical Safety to Your School

Webcasts, podcasts, white papers, case studies, data sheets and more in the new SchoolDude Resource Library! 
http://www.schooldude.com/resources/

• Chemical Inventory Control and Storage Essentials for a Safe Educational Environment, 1/22/2012 Hosted by Roger Young, featuring Dave Waddell (North American Hazardous Materials Management Association) and Dr. Irene Cesa (Flinn Scientific Incorporated), this webcast examines best practices for chemical storage, inventory and disposal.

• Identify and Control Chemical Safety Risks Roger Young, featuring Dave Waddell from the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association, Joanie Arrott from TASB and Dale Zabel from School District of Kettle Moraine, WI 

Chemical safety program cannot be overrated

The viability of a chemical safety program cannot be overrated. Unfortunately, most schools and universities don't emphasize their programs the way they should. Read more at:

MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT: Chemical Safety Programs

http://asumag.com/mag/university_maintenance_management_chemical/

American School and University

Dec 1, 2000 12:00 PM  RICHARD SHAW

A Guide to Prudent Chemical Management

Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security: A Guide to Prudent Chemical Management

Good safety and security procedures can lead to greater productivity, efficiency, savings, and most importantly, greater sophistication and cooperation. Improving safety and security is mistakenly seen as inhibitory, because of lack of understanding of safety and security procedures, cultural barriers, lack of skills, and financial constraints. 

Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security A Guide to Prudent Chemical Management and accompanying toolkit will assist chemists in developing countries to overcome the barriers they face and increase the level of safety and security in their labs through improved chemicals management and following the best laboratory practices possible.

English
Reference book
• Reference book, Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security: A Guide to Prudent Chemical Management
Toolkit Items
• Quick guide for laboratory managers (brochure format)
• Quick guide for laboratory managers (page-by-page format)
• Executive summary to share with institutional leaders (brochure format)
• Executive summary to share with institutional leaders (page-by-page format)
• Instructor’s guide, forms, and signs to photocopy and distribute• Preplanning reference cards to distribute to laboratory personnel
• Helpful reminder signs for posting in the laboratory 


For more information contact bcst@nas.edu

Why is that we do not seem to learn lessons from incidents?

PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT INDIA: The Human and Process Safety by Karthikeyan.B
"The San Bruno natural gas explosion has underscored a growing concern about the capabilities of utility employees who watch over the nation's pipelines and whose errors have been linked to a number of mishaps, some of them catastrophic ...
 

Know your gas pipeline...

HIDDEN POWER | Gas pipeline safety issues resurface after California tragedy by Diane Dietz, The Register-Guard, appeared in print: Sunday, Sep 26, 2010

..."Most U.S. transmission lines are old. The average age of pipes in the national system — including those carrying gases and liquid gasoline — is 50 years, Weimer said. “But what matters more is how well the pipeline has been maintained, operated and inspected,” he said. 

“We’ve seen brand new pipelines that go to failure in just a few years because they weren’t maintained and operated well. In other places we’ve looked there’s 70-year-old pipelines and they’re still in good shape,” he said. 

Mike Haberkorn, who oversees the 66-year-old pipeline that serves Western Oregon from Vancouver to Grants Pass, said pipelines are basically ageless. “If they’re operated and maintained property, they virtually last forever,” he said.

Teaching Safely, Teaching Safety

 Peaks to Praries Pollution Prevention 

Information and Tools

Laboratory Self-Audit: Setting Up Your Audit
Classrooms and laboratories practicing pollution prevention are safer for students and in most cases easier on the school budget besides being fairly easy to implement. However, changes in thinking must occur to make the initial effort a success. Lay the groundwork for change before using the Self-Audit Checklists included in this resource. Start with some basic grassroots organizing using these suggestions or some of the many community development resources available. The result will be a program that works for your school community.  Read more

Checklists

• Art Teachers Checklist
• Family & Consumer Science (Home Economics) Checklist
• Vocational Education (Shop, Ag Ed, etc.) Checklist

Posters

• Green Clean poster
• Chemicals at School poster
• Clean Air poster
• Hazardous Chemicals poster
• Integrated Pest Management poster
• Save Energy at School poster
• Top 10 Things You Can Do to Green Your School
• Waste Reduction poster