Sustainability at Painesville

Chemical Plant Facilitates Drill for Chemical Safety

Well trained team members are essential to keeping Lubrizol employees, the community, and environment safe. Safety is of the utmost importance to everyone, every day at Lubrizol, and it is with this mindset that we continually train, learn, and collaborate. Lubrizol - Painesville recently facilitated a multi-organization live drill that involved 14 organizations, including the Lake County Emergency Preparedness Committee, local fire departments, Tripoint Hospital, Emergency Management Agency, local FBI Field Office, among others. These drills help employees, organizations, and the community understand how to respond, what to do in case of an accident, and the importance of following safety guidance.

This drill was designed to test all involved ranging from situation management, interoperability of responding organizations, communication and press briefings, to emergency response. The drill was a full site operation with a situation that simulated accidental release of a toxic chemical including an explosion inside the plant.

The drill went from discovery of an accidental release of a toxic chemical, through activation of the emergency response team and implementation of the emergency plan. This involved having first responders arrive on the scene and taking over the incident.

The local police department cordoned off the radius of the affected area to keep civilians out. The fire department assumed charge of controlling the spill and worked to contain it within the plant's premises. The emergency medical service team ensured that injuries, if any, were promptly attended to.

The plant's personnel played an important role in the drill as well. They are responsible for carrying out the safety protocols and safety procedures established in such emergencies. The workers quickly donned protective clothing, masks, and respirators.

Once the site was secured, the emergency response team at the plant began to assess the situation. The plant manager coordinated with the emergency response team to ensure that all personnel were accounted for and safely evacuated from the immediate area.

The emergency response team dealt with the toxic chemicals by taking measures to reduce exposure, ventilation, and containment. They used special equipment and techniques to prevent the toxic chemicals from escaping into the air, soil, or water.

The drills help the plant's personnel to become aware of the potential risks, and they are better prepared to handle any situation that may arise. Drills, like these, are essential in ensuring that the plant's personnel are prepared to tackle any situation. These drills are carried out periodically to continually assess the plant's emergency procedures and preparedness. By practicing, Lubrizol ensures that its employees and the community are safe in the event of emergencies.

Drills are a critical component of chemical plant safety management systems. They help the personnel prepare for potential emergencies and improve their response time. The aim of these drills is to protect employees, the public, and the environment by minimizing the impact of chemical-related incidents. These multi-organizational trainings continue to be powerful training events to help ensure that all workers are trained and equipped to handle any emergency that may arise.

This successful emergency response drill demonstrates the importance of regularly testing and updating emergency plans. It also emphasizes the value of collaboration between government agencies and private industry. By working together, we can ensure the safety and well-being of our communities during emergencies.

The Lubrizol Corporation remains committed to protecting not only employees and customers, but communities where we have a presence and the environment as a whole. See what we're doing to help the earth achieve sustainability and humans maintain a sense of well-being.

Lubrizol Hosts Emergency Responders Training

In November, Lubrizol hosted the 2019 Ohio Fire Academy’s Hazmat* Technician class.  The class is required annually to train new responders according to the Ohio Fire Academy Curriculum (required by NFPA⁽¹⁾ , OSHA⁽²⁾ and the Department of Homeland Security).  It allows emergency responders to enter a hazard zone in order to offensively and defensively fix a leak or spill of hazardous materials. 

Emergency responders from Lubrizol’s Painesville, Wickliffe and Avon Lake facilities attended this 40 hour week long training.  Ten firefighters from local Lake County fire departments are also invited to the class at no charge.  Local fire departments sending students this year included Wickliffe, Kirtland, Willoughby, Leroy, Willowick, Painesville Township and Concord. 

Instructors for this class included six state certified Hazmat instructors:  Bill Whelan (Pvl Twp), retired Chief Frank Whittaker, Joe Hum (Lake County EMA) and 3 Lubrizol instructors: Greg Hollerbach, Matt Sadowski and Joe Hunt.

The course consisted of ½ lecture and ½ hands on experience.  Some topics included: Basic chemistry, assessing risk and hazards, instruments & meters, rescue and evacuation procedures, spill control and containment (and how to use the equipment), Incident Command System (who’s in charge and who does what), bomb squad procedure, drone usage, and decontamination. 

Why train together?  Having Lubrizol emergency responders train along side outside fire department responders allows everyone to learn what their capabilities and limitations are.  They also learn what is expected of each member of the team working on an emergency involving hazardous materials.    They become more familiar with our plant, our Lubrizol fire department and our response capabilities.  At the end of the week they get to test what they’ve learned with a joint drill, practicing their new skills and working together using a unified command system – where Lubrizol and an outside municipality handle the emergency together.  At the end of their 40-hour class they are highly skilled and well trained to handle spills and leaks of hazardous materials.  We are in good hands!  

*HazMat – Hazardous Materials

⁽¹⁾ NFPA: National Fire Protection Association

⁽²⁾ OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Association