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.
The product was made from 4-methylcyclohexanol. The chemical, 4-methylcyclohexanol is used in industrial settings. In 2014, West Virginia was exposed to this chemical in drinking water. Since this chemical is used to wash coal of its impurities, it was unsafe to drink the water as well as take a shower (CNN). Similarly, 4-methylcyclohexanol has a strong smell which may cause people to have symptoms like vomiting, skin irritation, and trouble breathing. Diesel is also replaced by 4-methylcyclohexanol (National Geographic).
...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.
In the document “How Tap Water Became Toxic in Flint , Michigan” by Sara Ganim the issue was that the residents could not get clean water from their taps . The state decided that they would save money and switch their water . As they switched , residents noticed that the water started to look funny and smell funny . Some thought it was sewage but it was really iron in the water . The Department of Environmental Quality was not treating the Flint River water with an anti-corrosive agent causing the water to have lead in addition to iron . The lead in the water lead to lead poisoning and several medical conditions .Due to all the health conditions the Doctors decided to take matters into their own hands . Patients reported having rashes and
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.
Cook, Phil. “Lesson with the BP oil spill: How NOT to respond to a disaster.” PhilCook.com, May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from: http://philcooke.com/BP_Spill/
Although the attempt of contaminating the water supply failed because of the standard procedure followed by Chicago, it cannot be guaranteed that citizens will always be safe from water contamination. According to Friis et al. (2013), national emergency due to terrorist attacks, disaster or bioterrorism threats, is faced with specified protocols that are based on the Homeland Security Act of 2002....
...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).
...ld be reviewing the OHSA 300 log to see what trends are being reported. If the log is empty, then one must look to why employees are not reporting injuries. Is there a culture that frowns upon reporting accidents or are employees just not educated on the proper procedures. Lastly, I feel we must go back to the enforcement of policies and holding employees accountable for their actions. If employees willing know that they can act in an unsafe manner and without fear of recourse then they will act accordingly. The policies set fourth must be adhered to and progressive disciplinary action must be taken to show employees that safety is a top priority. In most instances this is one of the hardest areas in implement due to the fact that your are changing the attitudes of employees but by establishing negative consequences to actions then attitude shifts will follow.
Consultation with employees help dentift hazards and risks, and to develop procedures to reduce the safety risk that could arise.
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
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.
Currently, the Grand River is experiencing problems with toxic chemicals that continue to kill off fish and other underwater wildlife. The majority of these chemicals are released by the Eckert Power Plant located within Moores River Park. Mark Nixon, The Communications Director for The Board of Water and Light, explains that the plant releases enormous amounts of “mercury, sulfur and nitrogen compounds” (15). The Board of Water and Light is working on trying to make the river cleaner in addition to reducing emissions of these harmful chemicals while in the process of moving towards natural gas over coal. An editor for the Physicians of Social Responsibility in the article “Coal Ash” explains that the use of coal is danger...
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.
Ensuring the health and safety of employees is of primary importance to the Organization. Organization is committed to maintaining safe facilities, sponsoring appropriate training programs, and providing necessary safety equipment. In addition, Administration and staff shall cooperatively develop appropriate procedures and regulations for ensuring employees' health and safety, with special emphasis on the handling of potentially hazardous equipment or substances and for investigating and reporting any accidents and mishaps. All newly employed staff shall be required to comply with the physical examination. Every employee must provide annually, at a minimum, an updated health history of current health problems.