NACOSH heat injury meeting, plant fire, and longest lightning bolt

What’s going on in EHS this week? Find out with Safety at the Frontline!

Tune in on Mondays to get the latest safety news with Frontline’s podcast. We’re covering the top EHS news, along with some quick and useful tips, so you can stay safe and keep rocking on the frontlines.

NACOSH heat injury and illness meeting

Department of Labor scheduled the meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health for February 22. The agenda for the meeting will include agency updates from OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and discussions on OSHA’s efforts regarding heat injury and illness prevention and risk-based safety. It will be open to the public so you can join in to get key updates from the OSHA initiatives themselves.

Fertilizer plant fire in North Carolina

Heading on to some very unfortunate news, last week a fertilizer plant in North Carolina caught on fire, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people because the chemicals at the site could cause a large explosion. The fire chief reported that 600 tons of combustible chemicals used in fertilizer were housed at the plant. Thankfully, the risk of an explosion has diminished, and hopefully, the fire will be put out as quickly as possible.

Longest lightning bolt recorded

For some interesting news, the World Meteorological Organization announced that the longest lightning bolt recorded stretched nearly 500 miles, spanning 3 US states. Thankfully, this lightning was several thousand feet above the ground, causing no one danger but this would be a great time to remind our friends, especially the ones working on utility poles or tall cranes, to stay compliant with OSHA’s lightning and wind standards.

In the meantime, stay safe and stay tuned for next week!