NFPA Journal - January/February 2014 - (Page 10)

>>in a flash American Society of Civil Engineers. The report concluded that while model codes have constantly revised provisions for wind-resistant design, these requirements aren't expected to withstand "the combined hazards of extreme wind speeds and wind-born debris impact associated with strong tornadoes." The codes also don't require occupant shelters for conventional buildings in tornado-prone regions. The varying degree to which the state of Missouri uses tornado communication systems was another concern. Use of the systems varied from city to city, which can confuse residents during emergency situations, stated the report. Requirements for emergency messaging in NFPA 72 could alleviate this problem. "Based on our significant body of research and observations from such events, our scientific understanding of tornadoes and their effects has matured substantially," says Eric Letvin, director of NIST's disaster and failure studies. "The overarching conclusion of our two-year study is that death and destruction from tornadoes can be reduced. It's time to begin developing and implementing standards and codes that directly address tornado hazards." The NIST report recommends the development and adoption of performancebased standards for tornado-resistant design. The various elements in the report are likely to influence the aforementioned NFPA codes, as well as NFPA 1600, Disaster/ Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs, and the proposed NFPA 1616, Mass Evacuation and Sheltering. "The Joplin study looks at the big picture of mitigation efforts through building design, better defining and categorizing the hazards, getting early notification out, getting those in harm's way to react, and reengaging the community in the response, recovery, and rebuilding effort," says Robert Solomon, NFPA's division manager for Building and Life Safety Codes. "The report also comes at a time when standards development organizations like NFPA are looking more broadly at resiliency concepts in the built environment." NIST expects to release the final version of its Joplin report in early March. Download the draft report at nist.gov-click on "publications" and search for "Joplin." 10 NFPA JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 "Highest Level of Approval" The U.S. Chemical Safety Board commends NFPA's code-creation action following a deadly power plant explosion by FRED DURSO, JR. On February 7, 2010, a massive explosion rocked Kleen Energy, a natural gasfueled power plant under construction in Middletown, Connecticut. The cause was a result of a "gas blow," a commonly used cleaning procedure where flammable gas is blown through piping at a high pressure. The gas was discharged to an area where dissipation was impaired; it eventually ignited, and the blast killed six workers and injured nearly 50 others. NFPA responded rapidly to the incident by creating its first provisional standard, NFPA 56 (PS), Fire and Explosion Prevention During Cleaning and Purging of Flammable Gas Piping Systems, which was issued in less than 76 weeks after the explosion. By comparison, it takes about 100 weeks to revise documents through NFPA's Annual revision cycle and 140 weeks for its Fall revision cycle. In November, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) commended this effort at the American Gas Association's Safety Summit in Washington, D.C. Charged with investigating serious chemical accidents and hazards, the CSB issued urgent recommendations to NFPA in June 2010 to prohibit potentially unsafe pipe cleaning. "We heartily commend NFPA for acting promptly and decisively in adopting the CSB recommendations in record time," says CSB chair Rafael Moure-Eraso. "Our board recently voted unanimously to close this recommendation as 'exceeds recommended action'- our highest level of approval." Since a number of natural gas-fired power plants are planned for construc- "We heartily commend NFPA for acting promptly and decisively in adopting the recommendations in record time." tion across the U.S. in the next few years, Moure-Eraso said NFPA would be "instrumental in preventing further loss of life and property damage." NFPA 56 (PS) prohibits the use of flammable gas for internal cleaning of piping and recommends air, steam, water, or inert gas as substitutes. Specific procedures and training during pipe cleaning are also outlined in the standard. NFPA 56 lost its provisional status when it went through a revision in accordance with NFPA's Regulations Governing Committee Projects. The 2014 edition of the standard, which was issued by NFPA's Standards Council on May 28, 2013, has additional requirements that address the use of pressure relief valves and associated piping in purging and cleaning processes. Read the NFPA Journal feature story on the formation of the new NFPA 56 (PS) at nfpa.org/nfpa56. Illustration: Ian Naylor http://www.nist.gov http://www.nfpa.org/nfpa56

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2014

NFPA Journal - January/February 2014
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
In Compliance
First Responder
Research
Wildfire Watch
Outreach
Firewatch
#Are You Prepared?
Life and Death at Memorial
Barrier Smarts
Perfect Storm
Conference & Expo Preview
Section Spotlight
Product Showcase
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - January/February 2014