Security & Safety News

WEF Announces Additional Dates and Locations for FEMA/WEF Water Sector Interdependencies Training

The Water Environment Federation (WEF), in cooperation with the U.S. DHS Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is pleased to announce additional general awareness trainings on water sector interdependencies. Sessions now open for registration are located in Florida, Guam, Massachusetts, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Utah.

The continuity of water and wastewater services following a natural disaster or terrorist incident is essential to public health and economic vitality. To provide these services, water and wastewater (water sector) utilities are dependent upon other national critical infrastructures such as energy to operate their pumps, transportation to deliver chemicals to properly treat water, and information technology to assist operators run their utilities. Additionally, many of the nations other critical infrastructures are dependent upon the water sector to provide clean and safe water for firefighting or irrigation for agriculture. An awareness of these water sector interdependencies is essential in reducing human and economic hardships following an incident. Those associated with public safety, security, emergency services, water, manufacturing, communications, energy, transportation, agriculture and food, chemicals, and dams will benefit greatly from this opportunity.

Please click here to learn more about the training and to register.

OSHA to Hold Additional Stakeholder Meetings

OSHA invites interested parties to register as a participant or observer for informal stakeholder meetings on Injury and Illness Prevention Programs. OSHA plans to use the information gathered at these meetings in developing an Injury and Illness Prevention Program proposed rule. The discussions will be informal and will provide the agency with the necessary information to develop a rule that will help employers reduce workplace injuries and illnesses through a systematic process that proactively addresses workplace safety and health hazards.

OSHA announced it will hold additional stakeholder meetings on July 20, 2010, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., in Washington, D.C., and August 3, 2010, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., in Sacramento, Calif.

The stakeholder meetings will provide OSHA with current information and views from a wide range of interests. The meetings will be conducted as a group discussion. To facilitate as much group interaction as possible, formal presentations will not be permitted. OSHA believes the stakeholder meeting discussion should center on major issues such as:

• Possible regulatory approaches
• Scope and application of a rule
  • Covered industries
  • Covered employers (size, high/low injury rates)
  • Covered hazards
  • Relationship to existing OSHA requirements
• Organization of a rule
  • Regulatory text
  • Mandatory or voluntary appendices
  • Other standards incorporated by reference
• The role of consensus standards
• Economic impacts
• Any additional topics as time permits

Click here for additional information on the stakeholder meetings.