
The wind energy industry is the fastest- growing segment of renewable energy production. Both wind turbine installation and turbine maintenance are high risk tasks and safety considerations must be a main priority.
The wind energy industry is the fastest- growing segment of renewable energy production. Both wind turbine installation and turbine maintenance are high risk tasks and safety considerations must be a main priority.
Utah has experienced damaging earthquakes in the past and geologic evidence indicates that earthquakes larger than any experienced locally in historical time are likely in the future.
We must prepare for earthquakes because:
This guide explains what to do before, during and after and earthquake with all the latest information about Utah’s earthquake threat.
While California has been the state most prone to serious earthquakes in recent years, there are many other fault zones in other areas of the United States. For example, geologists and seismologists have predicted a 97 percent chance of a major earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone of the central United States (including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky) between now and the year 2035. While earthquakes with the power of the one that hit the greater Los Angeles area in January 1994 are fairly rare, less severe earthquakes can interrupt your normal living patterns and cause substantial injury.
During a major earthquake, you may hear a roaring or rumbling sound that gradually grows louder. You may feel a rolling sensation that starts out gently and, within a second or two, grows violent.
OR . . .
You may first be jarred by a violent jolt. A second or two later, you may feel shaking and find it difficult to stand up or move from one room to another.
The real key to surviving an earthquake and reducing your risk of injury lies in planning, preparing, and practicing what you and your family will do if it happens.
By planning and practicing what to do if an earthquake strikes, you and your family can learn to react correctly and automatically when the shaking begins. During an earthquake, most deaths and injuries are caused by collapsing building materials and heavy falling objects, such as bookcases, cabinets, and heating units. Learn the safe spots in each room of your home. If you have children, get the entire family to practice going to these locations. Participating in an earthquake drill will help children understand what to do in case you are not with them during an earthquake.
Make sure you and your child also understand the school’s emergency procedures for disasters. This will help you coordinate where, when, and how to reunite with your child after an earthquake.
During your earthquake drill:
If an earthquake occurs, you may need to evacuate a damaged area afterward. By planning and practicing for evacuation, you will be better prepared to respond appropriately and efficiently to signs of danger or to directions by civil authorities.
Take time before an earthquake strikes to write an emergency priority list, including:
Make a list of important information and put it in a secure location. Include on your list:
Stock up now on emergency supplies that can be used after an earthquake. These supplies should include a first aid kit, survival kits for the home, automobile, and workplace, and emergency water and food. Store enough supplies to last at least 3 days.
If an earthquake occurs, you may need to evacuate a damaged area afterward. By planning and practicing for evacuation, you will be better prepared to respond appropriately and efficiently to signs of danger or to directions by civil authorities.
Take time before an earthquake strikes to write an emergency priority list, including:
Make a list of important information and put it in a secure location. Include on your list:
One of the most frightening and destructive phenomena of nature is a severe earthquake and its terrible aftereffects. An earthquake is the sudden, rapid shaking of the earth, caused by the breaking and shifting of subterranean rock as it releases strain that has accumulated over a long time.
For hundreds of millions of years, the forces of plate tectonics have shaped the earth, as the huge plates that form the earth’s surface slowly move over, under and past each other. Sometimes, the movement is gradual. At other times, the plates are locked together, unable to release accumulated energy. When the accumulated energy grows strong enough, the plates break free. If the earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause many deaths and injuries and extensive property damage.
All 50 states and 5 U.S. territories are at some risk for earthquakes. Earthquakes can happen at any time of the year.
The 2011 East Coast earthquake illustrated the fact that it is impossible to predict when or where an earthquake will occur, so it is important that you and your family are prepared ahead of time.
Every effort should be made to limit contact with flood water due to potentially elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous substances.
EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services urge everyone in contact with flood waters to follow these guidelines:
EPA and HHS recognize that Hurricane Katrina has caused extraordinary circumstances and that people may not currently have access to clean water, vaccinations, doctors, or disinfecting soap. EPA and HHS encourage people in these extraordinary circumstances to adhere to the above guidelines as closely as is possible to limit exposure to possible water contaminants.
The public and emergency response personnel should follow guidelines from federal, state and local health and safety professionals. Early symptoms from exposure to contaminated flood water may include upset stomach, intestinal problems, headache and other flu-like discomfort. Anyone experiencing these and any other problems should immediately seek medical attention.
General precautions to reduce contact with contaminated flood include routine washing with soap, and not eating or drinking while in contact with flood water. These precautions can significantly help reduce potential exposure and illness. Anyone with open-wounds or pre-existing conditions should seek immediate consultation to prevent possible illness.
EPA and HHS will continue to provide more information to the public and responders as it becomes available. Again, the general public and responders should limit exposure to flood water and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.
Floods are one of the most common hazards in the United States. Flood effects can be local, impacting a neighborhood or community, or very large, affecting entire river basins and multiple states.
However, all floods are not alike. Some floods develop slowly, sometimes over a period of days. But flash floods can develop quickly, sometimes in just a few minutes and without any visible signs of rain. Flash floods often have a dangerous wall of roaring water that carries rocks, mud, and other debris and can sweep away most things in its path. Overland flooding occurs outside a defined river or stream, such as when a levee is breached, but still can be destructive. Flooding can also occur when a dam breaks, producing effects similar to flash floods.
Be aware of flood hazards no matter where you live, but especially if you live in a low-lying area, near water or downstream from a dam. Even very small streams, gullies, creeks, culverts, dry streambeds, or low-lying ground that appear harmless in dry weather can flood. Every state is at risk from this hazard.
Floods, big or small, can have devastating effects on your home and your family. You can take steps to reduce the harm caused by flooding. Learn how to prepare for a flood, stay safe during a flood, and protect your health when you return home after a flood.
Source: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding/prepare.aspx
The following tips are republished from a press release issued by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) on July 6, 2007. For more information about this press release or about MEMA please contact Peter Judge at 508-820-2002.
Framingham, MA – As we enter the 2006 Hurricane Season, which experts are predicting to be very active, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is offering personal preparedness tips for the all of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
“Every home and business should have a basic supply kit that could be used for any emergency,” states MEMA Acting Director Ken McBride. “Everyone should keep certain items around the house in the event of a hurricane or other severe weather. A portable radio, flashlight, extra batteries, and extra non-perishable food and water are all essential to help your family weather the storm.”
Every household should have a supply of canned goods and other non-perishable foods that do not need cooking, along with bottled water, extra prescription medication, and extra food and supplies for infants and pets. A manual can opener and a basic first aid kit are also essential.
“Every family should develop a ‘Family Communication Plan’ to help ensure everyone is safe. You should call your local authorities learn about potential evacuation routes and the location of emergency shelters in your community,” said McBride. “It is important to familiarize yourself with your Community’s Emergency Plans before an emergency situation occurs.”
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, voluntary and private resources during emergencies and disasters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MEMA provides leadership to: develop plans for effective response to all hazards, disasters or threats; train emergency personnel to protect the public; provide information to the citizenry; and assist individuals, families, businesses and communities to mitigate against, prepare for, and respond to and recover from emergencies, both natural and man made. For additional information about MEMA and Hurricane Preparedness Month, go to www.mass.gov/mema.
Develop a ‘Family Emergency Communication Plan’ in case family members are separated from one another during an emergency (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work or traveling and children are at school, camp or a friend’s home). You can then develop a have a plan for safely getting back together. This will help assure everyone that all family members are safe.
Source: http://emergency.tufts.edu/weather/hurricane-preparedness-tips/
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), top electrical safety hazards include electrical fires caused by aging wiring and misuse of surge suppressors, and electrocutions from wiring systems and large appliances. Electricity causes more than 40,000 fires ever year in the United States, resulting in hundreds of injuries and deaths.
In one recent year, some 1,600 fires in American homes involved what most of us call “propane”: liquefied petroleum (LP). Grills, hot water heaters and stoves were the most common pieces of equipment involved in these fires. Forty-one people died and 260 were injured.
Once we start eating and playing more outdoors, we are quickly reminded which living creatures dominate the earth: insects. Weeds attack the lawn. Mice carry off the dog food in the garage. Mildew grows on the siding. Here are some tips for making sure that you don’t harm yourself, your family or your pets while fighting these pests.
Zone inspections can cover a lot of territory, both literally and figuratively. If you bring along a safety specialist, you can use these inspections to uncover some common and easy-to-fix hazards:
The greatest risk is not while riding the bus, but approaching or leaving the bus. It is essential that drivers know the rules:
“Danger — Know the Zone” guidelines for children: