BREAKING Explosion at Explosives Plant in TN

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jthomas666

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Tidewater

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I know OSHA is a pain in the neck (technically you need to don a hazmat suit to clean up a broken incandescent light bulb), but in some industries, you'd best best do things exactly the way they say.

For the record, there is no information indicating a problem with OSHA compliance here. I am not alleging that. OSHA normally errs on the side of safety
 

Tidewater

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They’ve had OSHA violations in the past. Hard to tell what the reason is yet.

That's too bad. I used to teach an OSHA course (for chemical weapons inspectors). Every one of the standards exists because someone did the thing they are telling you not to do.
Don't drink the soap you use for mopping the floor? Somebody did that.
Don't stick your head into the particle accelerator? Yep, somebody did that (in the USSR).
 

UAH

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That's too bad. I used to teach an OSHA course (for chemical weapons inspectors). Every one of the standards exists because someone did the thing they are telling you not to do.
Don't drink the soap you use for mopping the floor? Somebody did that.
Don't stick your head into the particle accelerator? Yep, somebody did that (in the USSR).
A lifetime ago I was located in an anti tank missile assembly operation. We were processing nitro cellulose by the dozens of pounds daily. Scary stuff that that is absorbed through the skin. We were on Redstone Arsenal in old bomb assembly buildings with blow out styrofoam side walls. The army safety reps were pretty strict but looking back I am doubtful that can be done today without a lot more attention to personal protective equipment.
 

Tidewater

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A lifetime ago I was located in an anti tank missile assembly operation. We were processing nitro cellulose by the dozens of pounds daily. Scary stuff that that is absorbed through the skin. We were on Redstone Arsenal in old bomb assembly buildings with blow out styrofoam side walls. The army safety reps were pretty strict but looking back I am doubtful that can be done today without a lot more attention to personal protective equipment.
The department of defense manufactures nitroglycerin at Radford Arsenal in Radford, Virginia. My dad got his first job out of college there. Apparently exposure to.nitroglycerin causes a drop in blood pressure and when someone who's been exposed nitroglycerin all day, every day is no longer exposed to nitroglycerin. He gets an obscene headache. My father said old workers at the plant used to take the bill of their baseball cap and dip it into the nitroglycerin on Friday afternoon and wear the cap over the weekend so they could inhale nitroglycerin over the weekend and not get a headache. I'm not sure if this is OSHA compliant..
 

UAH

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The department of defense manufactures nitroglycerin at Radford Arsenal in Radford, Virginia. My dad got his first job out of college there. Apparently exposure to.nitroglycerin causes a drop in blood pressure and when someone who's been exposed nitroglycerin all day, every day is no longer exposed to nitroglycerin. He gets an obscene headache. My father said old workers at the plant used to take the bill of their baseball cap and dip it into the nitroglycerin on Friday afternoon and wear the cap over the weekend so they could inhale nitroglycerin over the weekend and not get a headache. I'm not sure if this is OSHA compliant..
Yes I neglected to mention the typical Monday morning headaches particularly for those women rolling nitro strips into coils for the small directional rocket motors. We became concerned with the long term imact on their health. They did wear medical gloves but the fumes were enough. Not so sure that it didn't penetrate the gloves in hindsight.
 
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jthomas666

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The department of defense manufactures nitroglycerin at Radford Arsenal in Radford, Virginia. My dad got his first job out of college there. Apparently exposure to.nitroglycerin causes a drop in blood pressure and when someone who's been exposed nitroglycerin all day, every day is no longer exposed to nitroglycerin.
There's a reason nitro is used to treat many heart conditions...
 
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