Tag Archives: Texas

General Safety Issues

WHY DOES ALL THE NEWS HAVE TO BE BAD?

It is as though we shouldn’t expect to hear good news; most of the time it is bad.  Maybe the last five minutes on the nightly news, a story will be shared that will bring a smile to our face.  Two news stories that have happened this week are the bombings in Boston, and the deadly explosion in the small town of West, Texas, near Waco.

People train for years to run in marathons; other persons serve in various ways to make this a successful annual event; but there are some sick persons who want to create havoc time after time, especially where innocent people are involved.  Thanks to the many ways that officials have to find the people responsible, hopefully soon we will know the culprit or culprits.  One of the things that keeps popping up in my mind, is an older man who was running in the marathon who fell at the time of the explosion; it seemed everyone around him was running in different directions to help others, that I wondered how long it was before he was helped, and if he is alright now. 

Whether it is in a city or small town, one thing remains: people rush to help people.  There are story after story of heroics that occurred in Boston; one of a veteran of Afghanistan who comforted a badly wounded woman by showing her his own shrapnel scars, assuring her that she would survive.

In the small town of West, Texas, population around 2,500 persons, last night (Wednesday) was a tragic evening.  A fire started at West Fertilizer Plant shortly before 8 p.m.  Volunteer firefighters responded, when suddenly, there was a violent explosion.  Firefighters lost their lives, and others are missing.  Because many chemical components are used in making fertilizer, used by farmers, there was also concern about toxic gas fumes.

Again, people rushed in from area towns to help – emergency vehicles, fire departments, Texas Department of Public Safety, along with area hospitals opening their emergency rooms doors, waiting to take care of the injured.  Townspeople of West offered help to their neighbors and friends, and those they didn’t know – a place to stay, or other necessities. 

Regardless of the place you live, big or small, when tragedy strikes, people pull together.  Hopefully, manmade disasters will be few and far between, but we must all do what we can to stay safe.  Be more aware of what is going on around you, and more vigilant – if something just doesn’t look right, tell someone in authority.

We at Blog4Safety and Texas America Safety Company offer our prayers for the injured and condolences to those families who lost loved ones.

Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

 

 

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

MISHAP AT COWBOYS STADIUM

By now, everyone has seen the massive stadium in Arlington, Texas, that is home to the Dallas Cowboys.  On December 3, two men who were working at the top of the stadium fell 50’ to 75’on the roof of that building.  They had stepped out from the retractable roof, and after discovering the icy surface, they slid down to a roof gutter.  One of the injured persons called for help on his cell phone.  If the gutter had not been there, they would have fallen more than 200 more feet, and the end of the story would probably have been much worse.

The bad part of the story is, from all accounts, they were not wearing safety harnesses, according to numerous news media accounts.  On a later report, a harness was shown that they claimed to be wearing; however, it was not hooked to anything!  If you take a look at that building, how could anyone step out on top of that thing without safety equipment?

OSHA immediately began an investigation, which could take several months.

The Arlington Fire and Rescue team got the workers down.  After taking about 30 minutes to reach the injured men, twelve to fifteen firefighters worked their way down with ropes, baskets and ladders, accomplishing the feat in around 90 minutes.  One man was taken by air rescue to a hospital, and the other transferred to a hospital by ambulance.  Their injuries were serious, but not life-threatening.  Thank goodness for this rescue team, which has been preparing for such a rescue since construction began on the $1.2 billion stadium.

There will probably be much more information disclosed once the investigation is complete.  In the meantime, it is very inappropriate for companies to not have adequately trained workers that risk their lives to do very treacherous jobs.  Standing on top of a football stadium that is more than 300’ to the ground would require the very best personal protective equipment, (i.e., harnesses, lanyards) to safeguard human lives.  It will be interesting to see what facts come out.

Again, every time we see an accident, we need to realize that without our rapid response teams, we would be in deep trouble.  They risk their lives to get us out of some pretty good pickles!

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety, Uncategorized

TEXAS INFORMATION – SWINE FLU

Following two confirmed cases of Swine Flu, and a possible third case, the Texas Department of State Health Services has closed fourteen schools in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD.  The confirmed cases included students at Byron Steele High School, and were reported as mild.  Following many more reports of flu-like illnesses in the south Texas area, TDSHS will be conducting further investigations.

In Dallas, County Health Department officials are doing what they can to curb the threat of the illness affecting their city.  They have not received an advisory from the CDC, but are already taking action.  Dallas is a major hub for buses, with at least ten busing operators coming from Mexico, the country hardest hit by this influenza.  Mexican companies are sanitizing incoming buses, and questioning whether they should wear face masks, or hand them out to their passengers.  The representatives of the county health department are handing out literature to travelers, and inquiring if they are feeling ill, and if so, advising them to get treated if they are sick.  There are three suspected cases of Swine Flu in Dallas; all three are Dallas residents; however, they are not related and do not live near one another.

We are sure there will be much more news in the next few days regarding other states being affected by this threat.  Hopefully, with the information the government and media are providing, folks will know what to do to stay well, and take all precautions to avoid contacting this influenza, as they do whenever there is an outbreak of any illness.

TSDHS
WFAA.tv