Abstract
Complying with the OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 regulations and NFPA 472 standards is essential in the fire control and management department. OSHA Act dictates that employees are responsible for the provision of a healthful and safe workplace. OSHA sets and enforces standards that are important in ensuring a safe and healthful environment is achieved. Therefore, the department’s mission should be to assure a healthful and safe workplace through following the OSHA set standards. It is the responsibility of all the employees to comply with the applicable OSHA standards in our department. In addition, it is the duty of all the employees to comply with OSHA Act General Duty clause that requires every employee in any department to keep the workplace free from the serious recognized hazards.
On the other hand, NFPA 472 standard identify the minimum competence levels that are required by the responders of the emergencies that involves mass destruction or hazardous materials in the department. The standard also applies to every member or individual of this department who have the responsibilities of responding to the hazardous materials. The standard in addition, explains competencies for the awareness level personnel, hazardous materials technicians, hazardous materials officers, and the other specialist employees.
Occupational safety and health standards
The 1910.120 explains about the test methods of personal protective equipment. It goes further and gives the non mandatory tests examples that may be employed in evaluating compliance. It is therefore important for the department to employ these test methods since it has the responsibility responding to fire risks that might occur. NFPA regulations are general source for the fire codes and regulations. As the department deal with issues related to fire, these fire codes and regulation are crucial since they provide the procedures that should be followed.
NPFA purpose in the department
The purpose of this standard involves specifying the minimum competencies for the individuals responsible to the hazardous materials incidents. One of the competencies purpose involves reducing the number of injuries, illnesses, and accidents during response to the hazardous materials incidents and to aide in preventing exposure to these materials so that there is a reduction in the possibilities of illness, disabilities, and fatalities affecting the emergency response personnel in the department. The first responders at awareness level shall essentially be trained well to meet all the competencies. In addition, they need to be trained in safety and health regulatory requirements. The goal of the awareness level first responder competencies according to NFPA 472 is to provide these first responders with the skills and knowledge to perform their tasks safely. It is therefore a requirement for this department to train its first respondents according to the guidelines that are given by the NFPA standards.
The other purpose of the fire department is to provide information about how the hazardous materials technician should be trained to be competent. It is the responsibility of the department to train these technicians so that they will be in a position to meet all the competencies at first responder awareness together with the operational levels. It is also important for these technicians to be trained further so that they can be well conversant with OSHA 1910. 120 regulations. The fire department must ensure that all safety and regulation are taken into effect to ensure that no harm is caused to individuals. It has similar characteristics with the OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 regulations since both are concerned with safety of the workers and also the concerned individuals.
As required by the NFPA standard, the selected PPE must protect the employees in the department from specific hazards that they are likely to face during their work on site. However, the selection of PPE that is appropriate is complex. The training facilities in the department should have sufficient resources, site locations, and equipment to prevent fire occurrences. These training facilities need to be sufficiently organized. The security and safety of the response personnel together with others in the emergency control area.
A control plan site and safety that is comprehensive should include a hazards summary analysis of the site together with the risk analysis of hazards, sketch or site map, and the site work zones. There are various modern devices and methods for use by the emergency response personnel and the others who are involved with the hazards that are experienced. The personal protective equipment program is part of department’s health and safety program. This program addresses various elements that include, their selection based on site hazards.
NFPA rules and regulations alerts people to be prepared and be ready to bounce with action when a disaster strikes. The causes of disaster include tornadoes, hurricanes and also floods. Because disasters happens in unexpected and unpredicted situations, the NFPA have a disaster and response plan that acts as a guide that leads to safety, comfort and maximum security.
The NFPA response plan has put down the ways that people will act to ensure that they counteract an emergency. The citizens are needed to contact the Red Cross chapter so that they can be aware of the disasters that are likely to happen. After clear identification of the different types of disasters, what comes next is a family disaster plan applicable to all forms of disasters. The types of disasters may include natural causes, unintentional and intentional causes.
Prepare an emergency supply kits
Disasters frighten adults and at the same time traumatize children. The parents must be ready to deal with a disaster in case it happens because children will be looking upon the steps that they take when disaster strikes (Ferguson, & Janicak, 2005). The NFPA highlights the need for families to prepare an emergency supplies kit and develop a response plan to deal with the disaster. The parents must ensure that the children are aware with the response and recovery efforts and be attentive to all details that the response plan contains. The NFPA response plan will therefore act as an important guideline and will lead the society with the best way to react to emergencies.
Training according to NFPA 472
The standards and regulation indicates how the fire and emergency services are conducted. It states that the training is done twice in a year. The FES-NL has a training school which is composed of a diversity of topics touching on the fire emergency services. The FES-NL also ensures that it delivers training on the local emergency management so that the learners can generate knowledge on how to deal with the emergencies wherever they arises. The Hazmat and the Fire Investigator are among the specialist departments which students must be aware of and understand fully all the activities that revolve around. The FES-NL will support training on fore fighting because they have regional trainers charged with the responsibilities to impact the knowledge to the learners. They have the best programs that have supported the development of a perfect curriculum which very useful.
In the Health and safety section, both the NFPA and 1910.120 regulations have safety programs that are developed so that they can comply with the regulations and standards set by higher authorities (Ferguson, & Janicak, 2005). The 1920.120 regulation states that the mangers have a role to develop a well written policy on safety and health of their workers that takes part in hazardous waste operations. They come up with a program that will serve a role of identifying, evaluating, and controlling the safety and health hazards. The regulations also ensure that it defines an emergency response that will be in charge of all operations in hazardous waste.
On the other hand, the NFPA ensures that it protects the fire fighters and all their workers in an operation to bring down the fires. The employees are given the required clothing in accordance to the set rules and regulations so that can be safe in providing their services. When they are injured during their operations to save life, they are given free and good health care for a quick recovery. There are also benefits and compensations that ensure that the employees’ health is not jeopardized by all means. The health and safety regulations are an important element in both the OSHA and NFPA compliance.
A well-organized group of trained personnel should be embodied with emergency response operating under compliance of appropriate standard operating procedure and emergency response plan. The trained individual should be able to utilize the response plan to counter and control potential or actual leaks of hazardous material that may result into fire. The team should be able to engage into a close approach to the leaking material.
There are various elements that are required and should be outlined in the action plan to enable the disaster management department to be effective. These elements includes the site topography, design and the predominant weather situation, procedure for local, state and federal government incident report and should be a different section of the health plan and site safety. The other requirement in the response plan is the disaster integration and compatibility, for fire response plan of federal, state and local agencies.
In addition, the response plan should be rehearsed frequently as a section of the aggregate training program for the site maneuver. This will able to enhance efficiency by eliminating errors during the actual response to the disaster. It is also necessary to review the response plan regularly in order to update it with new occurring site conditions. With accordance to 29 CFR 1910.165, the alarm system should be installed to each employee to be able to alarm any emergency situation in the department. The employee is also required to stop any ongoing activity in order to reduce background noise, hence enhancing communication within the organization or department. Based on all the provided information on the action plan, the employers are able to be effective in speeding up the measure to contain the disaster.
In the site control section, the appropriate procedures shall be put into work in order to enhance control of the workers exposure to the harmful substances before the disaster mitigation plan is implemented. A site control program should be implemented as a part of the workers’ health program and site safety that is required by the law (Ferguson, & Janicak, 2005). This site control plan should be developed during the planning level of risky waste cleanup procedure and adjusted as soon as new information reaches the department. Therefore, the management in the department should keep updating the site control program by ensuring there is regular reviewing of the program. This is also an important measure in the department because they are able to mitigate some of the errors that may be as a result of failure to consider new change in the site.
The elements that are required in the site control program includes work site zones, a site map, site communication system installed with the alerting devices for emergencies, the application of “buddy system” . Most significantly, the program requires safe work practices or standard operating procedures, and clear and fast identification of the nearest medical facility. Although these requirements are outlined in other sections, they need to be repeated to enhance the efficiency in containing potential and actual disaster. All this information that is outlined in the site control procedure is effective in developing and maintaining conducive environment for the workers who are involved in the disaster management.
References
Coté, Ron. Life Safety Code Handbook: With the Complete Text of the 2006 Edition of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code. Quincy, Mass: National Fire Protection Association, 2006. Print
Ferguson, L. H., & Janicak, C. A. (2005). Fundamentals of fire protection for the safety professional. Lanham, Md: Government Institutes.
Hazardous waste operations and emergency response. - 1910.120. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=9765
