NFPA Journal - July/August 2013 - (Page 83)

>> the sections NEWS FROM THE NFPA SECTIONS SPOTLIGHT On InDUSTRIAL FIRE PROTECTIOn SECTIOn F. Tom Fangmann Tom Fangmann is the corporate risk manager at SunCoke Energy, Inc., an international coke producing organization in Lisle, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He has been in the property conservation and loss prevention field for 27 years, working at multinational property insurance carriers, and he is chairman of NFPA’s Industrial Fire Protection Section. What fields, industries, or occupations do your members come from? We have a wide range of interests in the Industrial Fire Protection Section (IFPS). We have professionals from aviation and aeronautics, food and beverage and packaged goods manufacturers, mining and metals, chemical processing, automotive facilities, paper manufacturers, and various property consulting companies. What codes and industries are important to your section? Because our section covers a wide range of professional areas, there are numerous codes and industries that would be of interest to us. The development of NFPA 4, the new standard on integrated fire protection and life safety system testing, and the revision to NFPA 13 are both of interest. Both these documents are scheduled for revision in 2014. Section members are also tracking the development of two new documents, NFPA 652, Fundamentals of Combustible Dust, and NFPA 350, Confined Space Best Practices Guide. What key code issues do you anticipate for the IFPS in the near future? In addition to NFPA 4 and NFPA 13, we’re interested in the next revision to NFPA 400, Hazardous Materials Code. The committee will consider further coordination of current requirements for storage quantities and fire protection provisions with other material requirements that are not currently part of NFPA 400, such as coordinating the maximum allowable quantity (MAQ) limits for flammable liquids between NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, and NFPA 400. Is there a specific event, an ongoing trend, or an upcoming issue that illustrates your section’s code concerns? Dust hazards and protection has been getting quite a bit of traction lately. Hazard identification codes and labels have also generated a lot of questions, and some confusion, from some end-users on the consumer side. Another conversation among the various member segments in the industrial sector relates to the updated OSHA regulation on hazard communication and the pending phase-in periods for implementation. The regulation addresses chemical classification, labeling, safety data sheet development and content, and training of employees. The training component must be completed on a number of new features by December 2013, with later dates applicable for other aspects of the regulation. This new regulation has also affected the NFPA 704, Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response, system application. NFPA and OSHA are working to develop guidance material for the employer and employee to clarify the issues and explain how to use both systems. What activities has the IFPS recently completed, and what’s coming up? The Annual IFPS Fire Prevention Week contest has always generated a lot of interest in the fire protection industry. This year, we had several new submittals from different industry sections and generated a lot of international awareness from various industries. This year’s winner was Dow Corning Co., Ltd.’s Songjiang plant in Shanghai, China. At NFPA’s Conference & Expo in June, I was honored to present the award to Sven Eckert, Songjiang plant manager. What do members get out of belonging to this section? Membership in the IFPS affords access to the diverse experience and fire protection capabilities of the section members. In addition, members can represent the section on technical committees, which allow them direct access to the key issues and the rationale for technical decisions reflected in code changes that benefit industrial sector fire protection. How can IFPS members become involved? Members can become involved by using social media such as NFPA’s LinkedIn group for the IFPS, by becoming a member of the IFPS Board, by using NFPA staff resources, by serving on technical committees, and by helping develop and shape the technical program presented during the NFPA’s Convention & Expo each year. Check out Tom’s Section Spotlight interview during the NFPA Insider webcast (www.nfpa. org/insider) on July 25, 2013 at 2 p.m. EST. To join nFPA or add a section to your membership, go to nfpa.org and click on the membership tab or call 1-800-344-3555. JULY/AUGUST NFPA JOURNAL 83 http://www.nfpa.org/insider http://www.nfpa.org/insider http://www.nfpa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2013

NFPA Journal - July/August 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Loud + Clear
Allied in Safety
Front Burner
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States, 2012
Fire Analysis + Research
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - July/August 2013