OSHA has expanded its office in San
Antonio, changing its status to an area office
with an increase in staff; a move that is
consistent with previously announced plans
to increase enforcement in Texas.
With a population of more than two million
people, San Antonio is the seventh
largest city in the United States. Population
trends, county business and an extensive
workload have prompted OSHA to elevate
its San Antonio location to an area office in
order to better serve the needs of workers
and employers in central Texas.
The change in San Antonio’s status will
include an increase in staff who will address
the safety and health of high risk construction
workers, with an emphasis on Hispanic
construction workers who are statistically
at greater risk of workplace fatalities, injuries
and illnesses.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
in 2008 more than half of workers
killed in private industry construction-related
accidents in Texas were Hispanic.
Additionally, a U.S. Census Bureau survey-
covering 2006 through 2008 found that more than 52 percent of the San Antonio
population was of Hispanic ethnic origin.
“OSHA’s experienced staff will be better
able to provide safety and health information
and outreach to workers and employers, including bilingual assistance,”
said Dean McDaniel, OSHA’s regional administrator
in Dallas. “Our San Antonio
Area office will serve 17 central Texas
counties.”
SAFER Systems Names Safety
Technologies Mexico Rep
SAFER Systems, a Camarillo, Calif.
provider of chemical emergency management
solutions, has named Safety Technologies
as its Mexico sales agent.
Based in Monterrey, Safety Technologies
will market SAFER Systems’ products
and services to refining and chemical
facilities, other companies that work with
chemicals and government agencies responsible
for emergency response and/or
environmental protection.
Safety Technologies is an industrial safety
consultancy serving diverse industries throughout
Mexico and Latin America including
chemicals/hazardous materials, oil and gas,
mining, construction and manufacturing.
“Safety Technologies fits well into
SAFER’s plans for the Mexican market. They
are well established in key market segments and
bring a depth of services from emergency planning
to safety engineers on permanent assignment
to IT services,” said SAFER Regional
Business Manager, Jim Gremillion.
Hector Hugo Ojeda, general manager of Safety Technologies, adds, The purpose of the
alliance between our two companies is to create
safer working and community environments.
We consider SAFER Systems’
chemical emergency management products
to be high technology and the right technology
for Mexico’s industrial and public sectors.
“For almost three decades, our chemical
emergency response solutions have been
making it easier to safeguard human life
and to respond more cost effectively to
chemical incidents,” said Mike Teague,
SAFER’s global vice-president of Sales.
“As we continue our global expansion,
we’re excited to offer our solutions to relevant
industries and organizations in Mexico.
Safety Technologies is the type of
company we like to partner with. They
bring a local perspective and strong technical
competencies to those in need of our solutions.
We look forward to a mutually
beneficial business relationship.”
OSHA Looks to Safeguard Hazmat
Emergency Responders
OSHA has issued a guidance document
that addresses adequate training and personal protective equipment for
emergency medical services responders
who assist victims of hazardous substance
release incidents.
This document, “Best Practices for Protecting
EMS Responders During Treatment
and Transport of Victims of Hazardous
Substance Releases,” a companion to
OSHA’s “Best Practices for Hospital-Based
First Receivers,” advises that employers
provide, at a minimum, awareness level
training to EMS responders.
Workers receiving awareness-level training
are not permitted to rescue or treat contaminated
patients, but are responsible for
notifying authorities if they suspect hazardous
substances at a scene. Operations level
training teaches EMS responder’s
skills for entering hazardous areas and caring
for contaminated individuals.
“Healthcare workers, including EMS personnel,
play a critical role in a community’s
emergency response program,” said acting
Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. “Emergency workers who protect
the lives of victims at dangerous
incidents should not risk becoming victims themselves because they lack proper training
and protective clothing.”
The guidance document helps employers
to determine the type of training and PPE
needed by anticipating the EMS responder’s
role in a worst-case scenario, identifying
hazards associated with the
responder’s assigned duties, and developing
an emergency response plan detailing
safe accomplishment of those duties.
St. Gobain Hazmat Suit
Gains EN Certification
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Merrimack,
NH, has announced that its ONESuit
Pro hazmat suit has earned the highest
level of certification recognized within the
EU and Asia.
The British Standards Institute has
deemed the suit compliable with the
recognized benchmark in fire and hazmat
safety for 30 different member countries,
EN 943-2 Type 1a standard.
Along with EN certification, ONESuit
Pro is the only ensemble certified in the
United States to both NFPA 1991 and
NFPA 1994 standards.
“First responders across Europe can
now rely on the same high-level chemical
protection that their U.S. counterparts have
trusted for years,” says Peter Kirk, product
manager, Protective Systems, Saint-
Gobain Performance Plastics.
European certification requires testing
not only the fabric, but the entire ensemble
to ensure it is an effective barrier against
hazardous materials. Seam type, glove,
boot, respirator interfaces and closure systems
all undergo rigorous testing during
the certification process.
Specifically, the EN 943-2 Type 1a standard
covers protective clothing against liquid
and gaseous chemicals, including liquid
aerosols and solid particles, meeting performance
requirements for “gas-tight” chemical
protective suits for emergency teams.
EU-based haz-mat professionals will
discover that user-comfort is not sacrificed
as the lightweight design of ONESuit Pro
allows for optimum maneuverability.
McElhattan Elected President and CEO
of Industrial Scientific
The Board of Directors of
Industrial Scientific
Corp. elected Justin McElhattan, 37,
president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2010.
In this position, McElhattan will have
full and direct responsibility for day-today
operations, and for profitably growing
all worldwide business units and subsidiaries.
McElhattan has served as President and
Chief Operating Officer since February
2008, and as a member of the Board since
2006.
“Industrial Scientific is fortunate to
have so many talented, passionate people
around the world committed to highest
quality and best customer service.
Their relentless dedication to eliminating
injury and death in the workplace is a
constant source of inspiration for me. I
am delighted for the opportunity to serve
our employees, customers, and stakeholders
through the next phase of what
has already been an impressive story,”
McElhattan said.
McElhattan earned an MBA with a concentration
in operations from Carnegie
Mellon University’s Tepper School of
Business in 2005.
