Page 42 - OHS, April/May 2023

FIRE SAFETY Zafer Develi/Shutterstock.com Operational Readiness: Stop Fires Before There’s Even a Spark What should be included in an operational readiness model? BY FORREST THOMAS Several years ago, a plant-wide power outage in Texas forced a plant to flare off products, including sulfur dioxide. As the toxic black smoke drifted into nearby communities, safety officials partially shut down the area and issued a precautionary shelter-in-place alert to protect residents. Just months ago, a train carrying five rail cars worth of vinyl chloride derailed in Ohio. Each car was unstable and could potentially explode, causing a deadly disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes, according to the office of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Like the plant in Texas, there was a controlled release of chemicals—but this time, residents had to be fully evacuated to ensure their safety. While these incidents took place in different locations, both incidents remind us that events beyond our control can and will happen—and that’s why it’s so critical to be prepared for any emergency. During an unplanned chemical release, there will be more questions than answers. Safety managers may ask things like What’s happening on the ground? What gas is being released? How much was released and where is it going? Could this chemical release spark a fire? Will employees, responders and community members be exposed to dangerous levels of gas? When will that happen? Is it safe to shelter-in-place or should residents evacuate? When will the area be considered safe? After recent events in Ohio, however, safety managers should be asking, “If this happened to us right now, how would we respond?” Having an operational readiness model in place is the best way to answer these questions and more. But what does that entail? What is an Operational Readiness Model? In short, an operational readiness model is a workplace solution that gives you the ability to prepare for worst-case scenarios and optimize your response plans and day-to-day operation so that you can protect not only your assets but also your people on the ground and the surrounding community. An operational readiness model also means there’s a common operating picture for everyone. This allows for improved decision-making so teams can respond more quickly to mitigate the impact, get back to work faster and much more. Building a Chemical Emergency Toolkit Every good operational readiness model should include a chemi- cal emergency toolkit. A chemical emergency toolkit provides a 42 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL/MAY 2023 www.ohsonline.com