Want to have a better understanding of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the OSHA Fire Brigades Standard? This article provides a great introduction to the potential changes coming with an updated "Emergency Response Standard" (formerly the Fire Brigades Standard 29 CFR 1910.156). The period for public comment is open and the article provides a link to the public comments page. https://lnkd.in/gyxvaB94
Kevan D. Jess
7mo
While the overall regulatory system in Canada is somewhat different this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from OSHA in the US is significant to Canada's fire services because: 1) the PPE we purchase is part of a North American market that uses OSHA as its benchmark for most items and NFPA standards are prevalent, 2) Most Canadian federal and provincial regulations in the area of firefighting occupational health and safety heavily reference OSHA for guidance, and 3) Any legal actions will, in the absence of Canadian regulations, will look to "industry standards" for guidance and benchmarks. This is not a notice the Canadian fire service can or should choose to ignore.
Fire Chief/CEMC North Bay Fire and Emergency Services Chair CAFC National Advisory Council Director Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs
7moInteresting read, similiar to Ontario where we have good OHS legislation; the supporting regulations are outdated and do not reference current standards or practices. Fortunately, the Ministry of Labour has a special committee (SECTION 21) of industry representatives that produce firefighter guidance notes. These guidance notes reference various standards such as NFPA, CSA, etc., and these guidance notes then become reference for industry best practice to help determine negligence when there is a worker injury. What I found really interesting is that OSHA wants comments on the 10 year rule for PPE contained in NFPA 1971. The reason for the 10 year rule is to ensure that firefighters are not entering IDLH atmosphere in PPE that are greater then 2 revision cycles. I hope that they don't stray from NFPA 1971; especially when the industry is moving to PPE with no intentionally added PFAS, as early indications show that this gear may not last as long as gear previously constructed.