The Important Role of Personal Protective Equipment in Derived Disasters

News Events: On May 27, 2017, a group of figures in the “9/11 Incredible Hurtness: 3,700 Rescue Workers Get Cancer” news flashed on NetEase.com. A New York firefighter has been on “September 11”. Rescued the wounded on the ground and died of leukemia. It is worth noting that the latest official data show that more than 3,700 firefighters, police, and sanitation workers who participated in the ground rescue and clean-up have been diagnosed with cancer, of whom 2,110 are firefighters, and various numbers are still rising. In addition, this figure does not include ordinary residents suffering from cancer.

When disasters occur, we first think of disaster relief and save lives, but it is often easy to ignore the personal protection that the original disasters may have on the residents and firefighters, police, and sanitation workers who are involved in disaster relief.

According to a witness from “9·11”, it was not until ten minutes later that the power supply was cut off and the smoke hit her. She realized that she was in trouble. In the three months after that, the dust in Chinatown flew all over the place. "The doors and windows are closed and cleaned every day. The dust is still on the table."

Two hundred-story high-rise buildings have 1.2 million tons of high-intensity and high-density building materials burning, with more than 50,000 computers in high-rise buildings and 300-400 tons of asbestos in the North Tower. What is in the air other than the published substances? One of the most ambitious senior investigative reporters interviewed the investigators of the American Geographical Society and presented a dust sample analysis different from that of the U.S. government. In his article, he wrote: “The dust in the downtown area contains a large amount of asbestos, Lead, rayon, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have high-strength corrosive properties, and air alkalinity is equivalent to home cleaners."

What is even more shocking than the disaster is the dereliction of duty and inaction by those in power, the ignorance and disguise of derivative disasters, and the neglect and indifference to the safety of workers.

Compared with “9·11”, we still remembered the “8·12 Tianjin Binhai New Area Explosion Accident” in 2015. After the accident, some media reported that: "Rainwater has allowed the cyanide that has not yet been cleaned in the core area of ​​the explosion to be converted into dissolved hydrogen cyanide, which may dissipate under acidic conditions and affect the surrounding environment..."

In the face of derivative disasters, human reactions may be delayed or disguised by external influences, but animals do not. Wang Jianmin, Secretary-General of the Tianjin Binhai New Area Wetland Protection Volunteers Association, discovered that just two days after the explosion, a migratory bird habitat about 6 kilometers northeast of the explosion site was originally expected to fly to southern China's 20,000 waterfowl in November. After all no trace. In the season when the birds should have been the most, they were almost gone within two days of the explosion.

We have no doubt about the disasters that have already occurred, but we stand on the standpoint of laborers and take a few points regarding the derivative disasters that can prevent problems before they occur:

The first barrier: respiratory protection

Whether it is an explosion, a fire, or an earthquake, these shocking disasters are often unavoidable. After the disaster, the importance of respiratory protection is also shared by people. Gas masks, dust masks, and so on are all provided. At the same time of disaster relief, we must clearly recognize the importance of respiratory protection. More and more examples demonstrate that the most disaster-affected areas are those where respiratory protection has not been done or have not been done. Select appropriate and effective respiratory protective equipment. Effective respiratory protection is the primary task of eliminating derivative disasters.

Second barrier: full body protection

Protective clothing, safety shoes, and safety helmets, these daily-use labor protection products also have a clear function at the time of crisis. One of the things I encountered in the use of safety shoes in the “8·12 Tianjin Binhai New Area Explosion Accident” has so far been I remember that many safety shoe companies contacted the disaster relief command center at the first time after the disaster and expressed their willingness to donate the products produced to disaster relief personnel. The command center made a brief analysis on the site situation and stated that due to the chemical leakage and the high temperature after the explosion, the safety shoes used by the on-site disaster relief personnel have strict functional requirements. Therefore, the safety shoes that meet the requirements of the field use It was sent to the disaster area.

Personal Protection Tips: Standing First Aid Kit

There is something very special in many American families. It is the first aid kit. Because many parents in the United States want their children to understand the truth: When life and death are critical, if you have a little water on your hands, a little medicine, and a bit of light, then the fate may be very different. Many people do not know that on September 10, it was not only Teacher's Day but also World First Aid Day. In China, there is a lack of national first aid knowledge. In Shenzhen, only one person in 100 people has received first aid training. In Hong Kong, this ratio is 1:30, Singapore is 1:5, and one third of the population in the United States has received first aid training. Half of the population of Australia, higher than the United States, learned first aid. In many countries and regions, first aid is a designated course for primary and secondary schools. In China, first-aid training has not received sufficient attention from the general public. Many accident-risk jobs also lack the awareness of training employees to acquire first-aid skills. This kind of deficiency also contributes to the tragedy to a certain extent. The existence of first aid kits is a boon. Our labor insurance industry also has a very good first-aid package manufacturer, which provides security protection for professional practitioners in need, and also provides protection for the general public.

The September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 have passed 15 years, but the trauma that it has caused to American society still exists. Apart from causing more than 2,000 deaths, this incident has caused considerable numbers of victims to die from the release of toxic chemicals on the scene in the following years, and others have been lingering on the sickbed until now. Rescue workers rushed to the scene at the time of the incident, workers who cleaned up afterwards, and many people living in the vicinity suffered various diseases due to exposure to toxic substances.

Disasters are unpredictable. Derived disasters caused by disasters are completely preventable. The timely and correct use of personal protective equipment plays an extremely important role in preventing the occurrence of derivative disasters. I hope this article will attract the attention of more relevant departments and enterprises. . Disasters do not happen because of our petitions. The damage will be reduced because of our increased awareness of protection.

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