Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1009631
othing is more important to our members than the safety of their employees, the people who live near our members' facilities and first responders. That's why our members take great care to make sure their facilities are operated safely. As part of our ongoing educational outreach on fire code compliance, NWPCA teamed up with its code consultant Bill Koffel, president of Koffel Associates, to present a webinar on the outdoor storage of wooden pallets. Dr. Brad Gething, director of science and technology integration for NWPCA, presented a brief overview of the association's role in developing revisions to the ICC (International Code Council) and NFPA 1 (National Forest Protection Association) codes. Fire code expert Bill Koffel dove deeper into the codes, and what it means for the fire code community, and for pallet manufacturing and recycling facilities. Hundreds of participants comprised of fire code marshals and plant safety managers were in attendance. The following is an excerpt of the Q&A portion from the May 24 webinar (some portions were edited for clarity). The webinar may be seen in its entirety at PalletCentral.com. What guidance should a facility be giving their personnel, in advance, for when a fire starts in their yard? Koffel: Reviewing the OSHA requirements is the first step. There are specific requirements as to what alternatives you choose and what the expectations are of your employees. Protect your employee before the pallets. If your direction to your employees is to evacuate immediately, that's what they need to do; you don't need education on portable fire extinguishers or protective equipment. If you decide you want your employees to fight the fire first, you might consider the response time of the local fire department. If you are in a remote location, you might want to invest in training some of your employees who are capable of fighting that incipient level fire. After training, provide the necessary equipment and tools to fight the fire. If you are dealing with larger fires, and not being an incipient fire or a structural fire, there are very specific requirements to protect that employee. It really depends on the size of the fire, your location in proximity to the fire department and what your action plan is in this situation. Reach out to your fire inspector who can help you with guidance based on your location, and their response time. 12 PalletCentral • July-August 2018 palletcentral.com N SAFETY iStockphoto.com/YuriyVlasenko Keeping Pallet Manufacturing Keeping Pallet Manufacturing