In June 2012, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration amended its enforcement policy relating to calculating and publicizing driver, vehicle and hazardous materials out-of-service rates and crash rates (see, FR Doc. 2012-15740; Published June 27, 2012). As a requisite to issuing a hazardous materials safety permit (HMSP), a motor carrier must have a crash rate or,…
Dateline-Gillette, WY. For those readers who could not attend PGI’s Fire Fest ’08, you missed out on another spectacular convention. Once again, the convention organizers produced an amazingly wide range of topical daytime seminars and educational workshops and demonstrations, and also provided the attending members and the community of Gillette, Wyoming, with extraordinary series of…
In the aftermath of “The Station” nightclub fire, in Warwick, Rhode Island, the Rhode Island General Assembly drafted new legislation relating to health and safety. The act is presently known as “The Comprehensive Fire Safety Act of 2003” (the “Act”), and it was signed by the Governor on July 7, 2003, and will be effective…
A Report From The National Fireworks Association Expo 2008 Several hundred fireworks enthusiasts from around the world converged in Billings, Montana, for the National Fireworks Association’s Expo 2008. The Expo was scheduled around daytime seminars and a large trade show with over eighty exhibitors representing an impressively wide range of products and services for the…
Floating Fireworks- dateline, Panama City, Florida In a prior article I wrote about the hazards and perils associated with fireworks displays over water and, as an example of life imitating art, an unexploded fireworks shell was found floating in the waters off Tyndall Air Force Base. The date of discovery is July 24th, meaning that…
Effective damage control starts with the policies that govern your business operations. While it is vitally important to direct the flow of information you do not, however, have to assume the role of control freak to accomplish this task. This article will briefly describe the two types of damage control most commonly encountered in the…
August 10, 2007 – Fargo, North Dakota, the site of the 2007 convention of the Pyrotechnics Guild International, billed as Fargo Firestorm – 2007. I am pleased to report that great things happen at these events, and I have drunk the Kool-Aid and I like it; so much so, that this year I was joined…
Appleton, Wisc. The U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Special Permits and Approvals, is in the process of making changes to the current EX Application form. Although the new application form should be publicly available in the near future, the January 1, 2007 effective date is approaching fast. Therefore, a prudent businessman is best served…
Below is a survey of the penalties imposed by PHMSA upon fireworks businesses only for the previous ten-years; this does not include penalties paid upon the issuance of a ticket or, alternatively, by settlement or compromise. This information was accessed through the PHMSA website. With respect to reported penalties, there is a discernible increase in…
Two words that always get the attention of lawyers and their clients, alike, are stricti juris; meaning, the rule of law will be interpreted strictly and without extension or enhancement in interpretation. Think of it as a zero tolerance standard. I mention these words to describe the continued trend in regulatory enforcement of hazardous materials…
