Affecting close to 100,000 homes and businesses, estimated to be close to 300,000 people, Freedom Industries experienced a chemical spill that contaminated the public water system in nine counties in the Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area. This matter has raised a magnitude of issues that have affected not only residents of the tainted regions, but the company itself and the government. Forming a contingency plan early on could have significantly reduced or prevented the dangers of the chemical spill or at least made it easier to those in command to effectively respond to the spill. The lack of planning and communication amongst Freedom Industries, and the residents of the nine counties in West Virginia had great consequences that have affected everyone involved tremendously. The counties that were impacted by the chemical spill include Kanawha, Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam and Roane county.
On January 9th, 2014 close to 5,000 gallons of a chemical manufactured by Eastman Chemicals identified as 4-methylcyclohexane methanol that has be classified as crude MCHM, a coal-cleaning chemical with a licorice smelling odor leaked from the Freedom Industries water plant into the Elk River in West Virginia. “According to its Material Safety Data Sheet, crude MCHM is a mixture of water plus six chemicals which are 4-MCHM, 4-(methoxymethyl) cyclohexanemethanol, methyl 4-methylcyclohexanecarboxylate, dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate, methanol, and 4-cyclohexanedimethanol” (Eastman, 2011). There is little known about this substance, and the studies that have been conducted are not sufficient enough to conclude whether or not there is a chronic effect(s) over a period of time. (Register herald) This part...
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...were staying abreast of the situation and ensuring the safety of the residents of the contaminated counties drinking water. However, providing the public with details on how the company was handeling the situation could have been resolved in more diplomatic manner.
Perhaps in order to ensure that a incident of this magnitude were to not occur again, a protection plans can be formed. This can be incoporated into new hire orientation, and improve employee training and addresses the propper protocal, response procedures, and how to manage materials. Visual inspections can be conducted routinely by qualified personnel to inspect equiptment and other tools used in the facility. By examining the facility regularly discovering that there are malfunctions or possibilities of an equipment failure can be caught early on and repaired before any major damage is done.
In my opinion, BP's response to the oil spill wasn't the best. Plus their spokesperson Tony Hayward's comments did little to help the situation. The response should have been about damage limitations. Hayward's responses made the company seem aloof and unconcerend about the environmental damage being done. When they gave an amout of barrels that were leaking into the ocean, they gave the wrong amount which hurted their credibility. They deflected the blame for the accident. BP would call the oil spill the "Gulf of Mexico oil spill" while the rest of the world called it the "BP oil spill." They might have took the blame but they said it wasn't their accident however they would take responsibility to clean it up even though it wasn't their fault. I think the fact that they used social media to show show updates and progress was a smart move since it is probably now the biggest media median. However, everything else was not the best way to handle this whole situation.
...op occupational illness prevention programs by having a written plan with specific procedures. This needs to be communicated to all employees and employees will know the hazards that exist to prevent injuries (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). The plan can involve management where they can be in charge of the program, and they can train employees on hoe to follow and report hazards to their immediate supervisor. Evaluate workplace conditions by conducting a survey on equipment, materials, machinery, and daily operations (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). Then evaluate current illness and injuries within the organization. Then develop and action plan and keep reviewing it to see if it is working. Communicate with employees and it is important that they know how the injury and illness plan works. It may be beneficial to designate someone to monitor the programs progress.
...lothing and equipments in the industry. These will greatly ensure the safety of the employees and hence minimize the injuries. Use of the administrative control and work practices will also lead to the production of quality products safe for consumption (OSHA Quick take, 2010).
The environment and the health of the surrounding population go hand in hand. The Environmental Protection Agency takes on this ever so important mission of protecting them both. The mission statement of the EPA states, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Small Business Programs is to support the protection of human health and the environment by advocating and advancing the business, regulatory, and environmental compliance concerns of small and socio-economically disadvantaged businesses, and minority academic institutions (US Enviromental Protection Agency, 2010).” The impact of its mission can be defined clearly as it examines the impact of contamination in the air, the water, and the land on human health.
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. (March 20, 2007). Final Investigation Report. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from U.S. Chemical and Safety Board: http://www.csb.gov/assets/document/CSBFinalReportBP.pdf
About half of the people in North Carolina use groundwater as their primary supply of drinking water, and groundwater quality is generally good. The leading source of groundwater contamination is leaking underground storage tanks, which contaminate groundwater with gasoline, diesel fuel, and heating oil. Comprehensive programs are underway to assess potential contamination sites and develop a groundwater protection strategy for the state. In 1993-1995, North Carolina continued its aggressive program to control nonpoint source pollution. North Carolina established the NPS Workgroup, implemented NPS Teams for each of the 17 river basins, published a guide for establishing a point/nonpoint source pollution reduction trading system, and introduced the Draft Interim Plan of the Neuse River Nutrient Sensitive Waters (NSW) Management Strategy.
While it seems somewhat illogical, especially in markets, to take a precautionary approach for every single case, nature and the human interaction with it can have much more dramatic effect if not treated more carefully. Flint, Michigan was a clear case where risks were not taken very seriously and as a result many people caught diseases and died. The biggest mistake that causes these types of situations is due to the perception of risk and partisanship. Grouping cultures and political affiliations can cause many of those in power to not see true problems that stand before them. They take voluntary risks that are clear and dangerous and spin them into involuntary risks. Because of this, issues such as the Flint water crisis can easily be pushed aside as “propaganda” or as the chief and staff referred to it as “political football.” Without correctly assessing risks and hazards and being more cautious towards our perceptions towards risk, dramatic problems such as the Flint water crisis will continue to happen across the
These people decided they have had enough and had meetings with the EPA to get a cleanup going in their community. Some of the people hate the fact of starting over by having the EPA help clean up the community because they have put so much money into things in the community. Some of the people are very particular with how they want things with their homes if the EPA has to tear some things down, so this process will take a long time. The EPA wanted to go property to property and if it was clean leave it, if it was dirty clean it up. Governor Martz flew into Libby and gave a speech about how Libby is a tough hardworking community and gave the people hope. She left quickly though because she knew the asbestos poisoning was bad, and not good for your health. Governor Martz agreed to the EPA cleanup. The National priority listing did not guarantee healthcare or that asbestos would be removed from homes. The people of Libby felt like they were in a battle with the EPA now because the EPA claimed they would get all of the asbestos from the homes, now they are only going to get some because the money is restricted. After WR Grace filed for bankruptcy the US government had to pay for the cleanup in Libby. This is a close-knit town where everyone knows everyone and they will do anything for each other. People are still being positive, they say
The Chesapeake Bay is polluted with agricultural waste. We see things like 1.5 billion pounds of chicken waste that no one wants to take responsibility for. Ignoring standards, a waterway was tested for E. coli; the standard is 125 FCU/100ml of water. Yet this waterway’s level was at 48392 FCU/100ml. An industry that will go to great lengths to make sure that Congress doesn’t impose sanction against them.
Luke run, “Alex shouted” the mutants are going to catch up to you, hide in the bushes! Nobody make a sound or a movement. “Are y’all alright!” Alex asked while sighing. Ok do any of you know what those things are. “Hayley claimed to know,” those are mutant animals that came to be from a chemical spill in a lab in Texas. One day a chemist was on the news saying one of his co workers died in a chemical spill in his lab. The chemicals also reached the animals and caused the to turn into mutants. They are highly dangerous if they bite or scratch you, you also turn into a crazy mutant animal. People used to call them the mutants but now most people who are even alive refer to them as the Doz.
The result of the analysis showed that BP could have had a better grip of the incident if they responded it with both a crisis communication plan and transparency. Their seeming indifference and unpreparedness reflected a perception worse than the incident itself to the public.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013). Developing risk communication plans for drinking water contamination incidents. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/lawsregs/upload/epa817f13003.pdf
The worst imaginable environmental catastrophe that could occur in Maryland has just become a reality. The lifeblood of Southern Maryland's Watermen has been forever affected. The ecosystems of the Patuxtent River and Chesapeake Bay have been irreversibly contaminated. The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl Nuclear Accidents have affected the world ecosystems; but the Chalk Point oil spill has reached us here in Southern Maryland. The ethical considerations with generating electricity from fossil fuels, specifically oil, has a profound impact on us all. We all use electricity to make our lives easier and more productive. By using this electricity have we given our permission for the oil companies free reign in order to provide us with the service we demand?? Are we just as responsible for the oil spill as the corporate leaders who run the companies? As citizens we are in a position to develop and enforce regulations to protect ourselves. Do we also protect the environment; or is the environment just something for us to use? These and many other moral dilemmas exist for modern man.
Although workplace accidents are very common, the majority of them can be prevented. As a company, you are obliged by the law to protect your employees, so it is important to take the necessary actions that will minimize the risk of accidents (Intelligent HQ, 2015).
Hazardous material accidents are common in warehouses and industries, the employ should provide a safe place to store the hazardous material, and the workers should have a good knowledge about how to response with that accidents and how to use the correct PPE and what control measures should be taken in that kind of accidents.