Little General Store Propane Explosion - US Chemical Safety and ...

Little General Store September 2008
The Worker Protection standard requires states and municipalities to prepare employees for hazardous
materials emergencies in accordance with OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency
Response standard. 51 The standard’s requirements apply to career and volunteer fire companies, and
public emergency medical response agencies. The United States Fire Administration and PERC 52 both
cite the Worker Protection standard in their incident response training courses for firefighters. The rules
for firefighters and emergency medical personnel in West Virginia, however, do not specifically
incorporate the EPA requirements under the Worker Protection standard.
6.3 West Virginia Fire Commission
The primary role of the Fire Commission in West Virginia is the promulgation of the state fire code and
certification requirements for fire departments.
6.3.1 Requirements for Fire Departments 53
The West Virginia Fire Commission certifies fire departments every five years based on
• location, size and boundaries of the fire protection district;
• number of active and available personnel and their level of training;
• quantity and type of equipment;
• administrative procedures and policies including chain-of-command;
51
29 CFR 1910.120 – Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response generally requires employers to
develop emergency response and health and safety plans that address worker training, preparedness, and health
monitoring. The regulation applies to both long-term hazardous waste clean-up operations in addition to
emergency response for incidents involving any hazardous material (not limited to hazardous wastes). The
standard requires initial training and annual refresher training.
52
Propane Emergencies, 3rd ed., p. 41.
53 WVC 29-3-2.
47