From: Secretary ACS DCHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2014 08:39:25 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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Table of Contents (10 articles)

THE SAFETY ZONE BLOG: SAFETY VIDEOS, COURTESY OF A DEPARTMENT CONTEST
Tags: us_MN, laboratory, discovery, response

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS DISCHARGED IN CAMP HILL SCHOOL CAUSE FIRE CREWS TO RESPOND TO POSSIBLE FIRE
Tags: us_PA, education, release, response, fire_extinguisher

NAPLES FD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL SITUATION AT ALTERNATIVE LABS
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

FIRE GUTS CHEMICAL GODOWN
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, paints, solvent

FIREFIGHTERS DOUSE CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_GA, transportation, fire, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid

CHEMICAL VAPOR INCIDENTS PROMPT ?STOP WORK? AT HANFORD
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, radiation, waste

FAA URGES FINES AGAINST STONY BROOK CHEMICAL COMPANY FOR 2 SHIPMENTS OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
Tags: us_NY, transportation, follow-up, response, acrolein, illegal

FIRE IN SCHOOL OFFICE BLOCK, SCIENCE LABORATORY
Tags: Australia, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

PLYMOUTH, WA: UPDATE: EVACUATION RADIUS NEAR PLYMOUTH PLANT TO BE REDUCED
Tags: us_WA, industrial, explosion, response, natural_gas

BOOST YOUR LAB ERGONOMICS IQ
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental


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THE SAFETY ZONE BLOG: SAFETY VIDEOS, COURTESY OF A DEPARTMENT CONTEST
http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2014/04/safety-videos-courtesy-of-a-department-contest/
Tags: us_MN, laboratory, discovery, response

Last Spring, the University of Minnesota department of chemical engineering and materials science held a lab safety video contest. Department chair Frank Bates thought it would be a nice way to motivate interest in the safety moments that the department holds before seminars, he says.

The contest rules were simply that the videos had to maintain basic standards of decency and respectfulness, Bates says. Graduate students worked in small teams to develop four entries, which were judged by members of the department. Prizes were $500 for first place, $300 for second, and $150 for third. Bates says that the contest was fun and generated a lot of interest. He expects that the department will hold a similar contest again at some point.

(video links on the blog site)

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FIRE EXTINGUISHERS DISCHARGED IN CAMP HILL SCHOOL CAUSE FIRE CREWS TO RESPOND TO POSSIBLE FIRE
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/04/fire_extinguishers_discharged.html
Tags: us_PA, education, release, response, fire_extinguisher

CAMP HILL ? When a man and his father called 911 earlier Tuesday night to report smoke pouring out of the Schaeffer Elementary School, firefighters wasted little time arriving.

But instead of a fire, crews arriving in the 2900 block of Walnut Street discovered copious amounts of chemical fire extinguisher dust billowing out of the school, said Camp Hill Fire Company Chief Mark Simpson, who chalked the incident up to vandalism. Nonetheless, the dust, which coated the school hallways and spilled out into the parking lot, certainly resembled smoke from an actual fire, Simpson said.

"It was a large number of dry chemical fire extinguishers that were discharged inside. I definitely don't think it was accidental, it was vandalism, but it was more of a nuisance," the chief said.

Camp Hill police Sgt. John K. Kidman agreed with Simpson's assessment, adding that, as of Tuesday night, no suspects were identified.

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NAPLES FD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL SITUATION AT ALTERNATIVE LABS
http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2014-04-01/Naples-FD-responds-to-chemical-situation-at-Alternative-Labs
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- Employees of Alternative Laboratories, located at 2231 Linwood Ave.,suffered an apparent chemical reaction and went to the hospital today, after exposure to a chemical yesterday.

According to the East Naples Fire Department, the employees were exposed to too much of a chemical that got into the air after a third party contractor used slightly too of the substance much yesterday.

The chemical is used to make a solution that purifies water.

Yesterday, six people refused treatment and suffered watery eyes and runny noses, but today their symptoms persisted, so they went to the hospital as a precaution.

Naples Fire conducted an air quality check and deemed everything was fine. Hazmat responded and cleared the scene.

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FIRE GUTS CHEMICAL GODOWN
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/396111/fire-guts-chemical-godown.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, paints, solvent

A godown of Canara Chemical Factory was gutted in the early hours of Tuesday in Gowdanapalya suburb at Uttarahalli in Kumaraswamy Layout police station limits.

According to fire personnel, the blaze was noticed at around 6 am by passersby who alerted them. Paints, thinners and other chemicals stored in the godown were destroyed in the incident.

The reason for fire is yet to be ascertained. Four fire tenders took more than an hour to douse the blaze. The owner claimed that around Rs 50 lakh worth of goods were destroyed.

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FIREFIGHTERS DOUSE CHEMICAL FIRE
http://newstimes.augusta.com/news/2014-04-01/firefighters-douse-chemical-fire
Tags: us_GA, transportation, fire, response, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid

A Columbia County hazardous materials team extinguished a chemical fire inside a tractor trailer parked in a crowded shopping center parking lot Tuesday afternoon.

A SAIA Ltd. Freight driver saw his tractor smoking and pulled into an empty area of Mullins Crossing shopping center by Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Evans.

Columbia County fire personnel responded and saw the emergency placards on the side of the smoking trailer, said Batt. Chief and Special Operations Officer Danny Kuhlmann said.

Upon checking the driver?s manifests, Kuhlmann said he learned the trailer was loaded with corrosive materials including wood preservatives, solvents and chlorine tablets.

?The driver said he thinks the load shifted causing the containers to leak and set the fire,? Kuhlmann said.

Early reports indicate that a wood pallet of chlorine fell onto chlorine and it combined with hydrochloric acid to start the fire.

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CHEMICAL VAPOR INCIDENTS PROMPT ?STOP WORK? AT HANFORD
http://www.king5.com/news/hanford/Chemical-vapors-prompt-stop-work-at-Hanford-253463261.html
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, radiation, waste

Concerns about repeated exposures to chemical vapors at Hanford prompted a "stop work" order late Monday by two employees of one of the main contractors at the site.

Two-dozen workers have reported medical problems over the past two weeks after breathing chemical vapors. The vapors were detected primarily in the Hanford area that houses large tanks holding radioactive waste.

The order forbids all employees of the contractor -- the Mission Support Alliance -- from entering the tank farm area or going within 100 yards of it until it is lifted. About 500 workers are affected; MSA performs support jobs at Hanford such as crane operation, truck driving, tank maintenance, security and fire protection.

Fred Rumsey, a shop steward for the Boilermakers Union, is one of the workers who initiated the action. He told KING 5 that MSA workers are ?fed up? with the poor communication they've received from the U.S. Department of Energy and Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), the contractor that manages the tank operations.

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FAA URGES FINES AGAINST STONY BROOK CHEMICAL COMPANY FOR 2 SHIPMENTS OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
http://www.newsday.com/business/faa-urges-fines-against-stony-brook-chemical-company-for-2-shipments-of-hazardous-material-1.7574578
Tags: us_NY, transportation, follow-up, response, acrolein, illegal

A Stony Brook chemical company twice shipped "undeclared hazardous material" that's prohibited on cargo flights, once causing inspectors to experience "coughing fits and extreme eye, nose and throat irritation," the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday.
The FAA is proposing a $325,000 civil penalty against Alfa Chemistry, which is alleged to have shipped on FedEx cargo flights about a pint of the chemical acrolein last April 19, and three pints last May 23. Both shipments were addressed to an individual at Alfa Aesar in Ward Hill, Mass., described on its website as a manufacturer and supplier of research chemicals.
That's according to the FAA's news release and a letter from the FAA dated Feb. 4, 2014, addressed to the president of Protheragen Inc., which does business as Alfa Chemistry at 1360 Stony Brook Rd. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

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FIRE IN SCHOOL OFFICE BLOCK, SCIENCE LABORATORY
http://cowracommunitynews.com/viewnews.php?newsid=6186&id=3
Tags: Australia, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical

Fire in school office block, science laboratory
POLICE are investigating the cause of a fire at a school at The Rock, south of Wagga Wagga, this morning (Wednesday).
Emergency services were called to the Urana St Central School about 4:40am following reports of a fire in the main office block and science building.
The blaze has now been extinguished, police say.
Police have established a crime scene, which will be examined by forensic officers.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Police say they?ve been advised the school will be closed today.

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PLYMOUTH, WA: UPDATE: EVACUATION RADIUS NEAR PLYMOUTH PLANT TO BE REDUCED
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2014/03/31/2904040/natural-gas-facility-on-fire-near.html
Tags: us_WA, industrial, explosion, response, natural_gas

PLYMOUTH, WA ? It?s unknown when Plymouth residents will be able to return to their homes after an explosion and fire at a nearby natural gas facility Monday morning triggered fears of a second, larger explosion.

Up to 1,000 residents and agricultural workers were evacuated from a two-mile radius around Northwest Pipeline in south Benton County after the explosion, which caused slow leaks from a massive storage tank and injured five people.

Hazardous materials experts entered the liquefied natural gas facility Monday afternoon for the first time nearly eight hours after the initial explosion and fire inside a building at Northwest Pipeline, a subsidiary of Williams Partners.

The 8:22 a.m. explosion sent shrapnel into a 14.6-million-gallon storage tank, rupturing it and starting the gradual leak of super-cold liquefied natural gas. William Partners officials say the tank was only one-third full.

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BOOST YOUR LAB ERGONOMICS IQ
http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2014/03/boost-your-lab-ergonomics-iq/
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental

When people talk about ergonomic issues, they often refer to things like carpal tunnel syndrome from sitting at a desk and typing. But there are also ergonomic risks associated with working in a laboratory. If you know what they are, you can take steps to minimize stress on your body and avoid injuries.

Here are four ways to improve your lab ergonomics.

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