[Seascamp]

Ron, to my knowledge all Haz Mat, DOT rules and regs are Federal and not subject to optional State, County or City interpretation or application, or supposedly so. Same with EPA, Federal water quality standards, OSHA, NFPA specifications, etc. but where the rub comes in is in the area of enforcement and participation and that is where you have it defined, I?m thinking.

Example; we?re in a flux about illegal immigration and workers and well we should be. But I have personally seen home construction crews that are wildly out of control and that is the usual and normal situation, especially in California. I mean those crazy vatos run pneumatic nail guns with out any protection at all, handle really nasty solvents like acetone and carbon tetra chloride without the slightest degree of knowledge or protection; so long liver, time for a dirt nap.
They hop around on open rafters without safety harness; run power saws and tools with not an iota of knowledge or protection, are up on scaffolding that is totally outlaw, on and on. We?re talking slaughter alley, but at the same time I know OSHA has a regional office less than 50 miles away but seem to have eye trouble. I guess they can?t see themselves going to some construction sites that employ the border runners. On the other hand, they are all over legitimate employers who try to follow the rules and regs and then have perfect 20/20 vision and a hot running fine book.

In a formal business setting, OSHA would be all over a construction site or factory run like that, big time, and with fines running like a desert flash flood. Pick a big name petro-chem outfit, anyone in Galveston area and what will be universally found are exceptionally tight controls on Right to Know, MSDS, PPE, DOT requirements, NFPA specifications, NRTL specifications, EPA regs, on and on. Every time I go to any legitimate US plant, I?m required to take a haz mat refresher; usually about a 2 hour course plus exam, before I can so much as get in the gate.

One of the dark stats has to be the number of disabled, maimed, poisoned and dead illegals that are churned out each year but are a total unknown, totally undocumented and our 'oh so caring' politicos and left- brained clerics want it that way, boy howdy.

And a word to the wise, the most dangerous and toxic areas we encounter is our own kitchens and garages. Really toxic and nasty stuff is for sale in the local grocery store or hardware store that was industry outlawed over two decades ago. Stay well away from acetone or any cleaning product that claims to remove any spot, bad news killer stuff if there is prolonged skin contact. Never mix cleansers with ammonium hydroxide (bleach) , ya may get deadly chlorine gas as a result and that will be it, end of days.

Scamp