Life Safety/Security - News & Trends

EPA adds to Superfund sites

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding 12 new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. EPA also proposes adding six other sites to the list.

There are currently 1,581 sites listed in the NPL. Of these sites, 324 sites have been deleted, leaving 1,257 sites. With the proposal of the six new sites, there are 60 proposed sites awaiting final agency action: 55 in the general Superfund section and five in the federal facilities section. There are a total 1,317 final and proposed sites on the NPL.

Contaminants found at these final and proposed sites include arsenic, barium, carbon tetrachloride, chromium, copper, dichloroethene, dioxins, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans, tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethane, trichloroethene (TCE), vinyl chloride, and zinc. For more information, visit: www.epa.gov

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Preventing hearing loss

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) signed an agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) for outreach and resources to help prevent work-related hearing loss.
The three partners pledged to work together to:

• Provide expertise in developing information for recognizing and preventing occupational hearing loss, and in developing ways to communicate such information to employers and employees.
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at partner-sponsored conferences, local meetings, and national conferences such as the annual NCHA conference.
• Share information among OSHA and NIOSH personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding NHCA-recommended best practices or effective approaches. Also to publicize results through materials prepared by the partners, training programs, workshops, seminars, lectures, and other appropriate fora.
• Work with others on specific issues and projects that are addressed and developed through the alliance.
• Convene or participate in forums, round-table discussions, or stakeholder meetings on workplace hearing-loss prevention, to help forge innovative solutions or to provide input on worker safety and health issues.

The agreement supports NIOSH's strategic research program for preventing work-related hearing loss. Approximately 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job and an additional nine million are at risk for hearing loss from other agents such as solvents and metals. Work-related hearing loss can significantly degrade a worker's quality of life, potentially leading to disability. More information is available at www.cdc.gov

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New keying standard

NEW YORK– The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) has issued ANSI/BHMA A156.28-2007 American National Standard for Keying Systems.

The standard covers requirements for system design and design criterion to establish and maintain a secure keying system for building owners and security professionals, an update from 2000. Master keying is the process of combining a group of locks or cylinders so that each is operated by its own change key as well as by a master key for the entire group. For more information, see www.buildershardware.com

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SES and ASIS form partnership

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — The Security Executive Council (SEC), an international membership organization for public- and private-sector security executives, and ASIS International, the society for security management professionals, have formed a partnership.

Together, they will offer the SEC's leadership materials—including books, presentations and research reports—in the ASIS bookstore. The ASIS Bookstore Catalog 2008-09 is featuring nine publications from the more than 100 original SEC products. For more information, see the ASIS bookstore at www.asisonline.org

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NIST promotes safer buildings

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) highlights comprehensive building code changes based on the NIST World Trade Center (WTC) investigation.

These changes were approved by the International Code Council (ICC) in 2007 and have been used as the basis for building regulations promulgated and enforced by U.S. state and local jurisdictions. Those jurisdictions have the option of incorporating some or all of the code’s provisions but generally adopt most of them.

NIST also details the 47 proposals for code changes based on WTC investigation recommendations submitted to the ICC. These proposals address areas such as structural collapse, wind tunnel testing, emergency responder communications, sprinkler redundancy, and sprayed-on fire resistive materials. For more information, see www.nist.gov/ncst

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Construction safety book available

WASHINGTON, D.C. –- The Construction Chart Book, Fourth Edition is now available as a free download from The Center for Construction Research and Training (CCRT).

Prepared with support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the volume provides a succinct and extensive overview of available data on the construction industry.

The data cover all facets of the U.S. construction industry: economic, demographic, employment/income, education/training, and safety and health issues. This edition features topics and information not covered in previous editions, uses new data sources, and expands coverage of Hispanic workers. To see the book, go to www.cpwr.com or www.cpwr.com/rp-chartbook.html

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Website aids in elevator safety

SALEM, N.Y.— The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) offers a web site dedicated to the promotion and adoption of the Performance Based Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, ASME A17.7/ CSA B44.7 (PBC) throughout the United States and Canada.

The standard was developed jointly by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and provides an efficient, standardized method for specifying safety requirements for new elevator technologies.

The need for PBC arises from the prescriptive language in ASME A17.1/CSA B44, which addresses technology that has already been introduced without providing a uniform, structured approach for introducing and approving new technology. This has led to a hodgepodge of different processes in jurisdictions throughout Canada and the United States, including some localities that do not have procedures to allow for the use of new elevator technologies.

One result of regulatory design limitations is that North America is far behind Europe, Asia, and other regions that readily incorporate advanced elevator designs and technologies to keep pace with advanced buildings that are taller, more efficient, sustainable, and more resistant to natural forces such as hurricanes and earthquakes. The Web site can be accessed at www.pbc-elevators.com

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New code for timber frame

ALLOA, UK – The Code of Practice sets out the management and operational standards that the UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA) and UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) anticipate to be adopted by all those involved with the supply and erection of timber frame structures, from self-build houses to multi-story housing, schools and large commercial buildings.

All inspectors will use this Code of Practice when visiting timber frame sites and will look to all duty holders under the CDM (Construction, Design and Management) Regulations to have done likewise. For more information, see www.timber-frame.org

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