People nationwide were recently stunned to hear of a work place accident with multiple fatalities. The material involved was one of number of different types of compressed industrial gases utilized in research, health care, and manufacturing. They are used because they are extremely cold, or chemically reactive or chemically nonreactive, or useful as fuels or efficient refrigerants. Using compressed and cryogenic industrial gasses has benefits but there are safety risks requiring special technologies and procedures.

Despite the widespread use of these materials, there are few organizations offering training to safely work around the hazards. Ammonia used in industrial refrigeration systems is one of these gases. Because many North Georgia poultry and other food plants have large ammonia refrigeration systems, Lanier Technical College provides a training program on ammonia refrigeration. It is one of only a handful across the country.

Dr. Joneen Mcelligott, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist and Carlos Gallegos, Chief for Occupational Safety Training Branch at the OSHA Safety Training Institute in Chicago area will address the March 8th live online monthly meeting of the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers Atlanta Metro Chapter. They will present on Working Safely with Industrial Gases via the GSPE YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/GSPEng starting at 7:00 PM. Although they will NOT discuss current investigations, they will cover select regulations, training requirements, documentation, the hazards, risk mitigations measures and best practices applicable to working with liquefied and high pressure industrial gases and cryogenic gases. Participants will be able to use the chat feature to pose questions during the live presentation. The meeting presentation will be recorded and available for later viewing at no cost. This presentation, like the previous presentations, will qualify for a required professional development hour (PDH). Currently registered professional engineers, those engineers aspiring to become PEs, and others engaged in engineering would benefit from the presentation. Anyone involved with using compressed industrial gases and members of the general public are also welcomed to learn about technology, engineering and public welfare. This is a FREE event.

Dr. Joneen McElligott has over 20 years of experience in occupational safety and health. She currently is a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist with OSHA at the OSHA Training Institute’s Office of Occupational Safety Training. Joneen also served OSHA as an Industrial Hygienist at the Peoria Area Office in Illinois. Prior to joining OSHA, Joneen worked with the USDA’s Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist. Joneen has advanced degrees in law, chemistry and psychology and is published for her work in the field of chemistry. 

Carlos Gallegos started his safety career in the U.S. Air Force where he attained a Journeyman skill level as a technician and was licensed as a universal refrigerant processing technician. Since 2000, Carlos has held several positions with OSHA, including Response Team Leader, Instructor for the OSHA Training Institute and Regional Safety Specialist.  He currently serves as Chief for Occupational Safety Training Branch at the OSHA Training Institute in Arlington Heights, Illinois 

The Us Department of Labor OSHA Training Institute provides training and education in occupational safety and health for federal and state compliance officers, state consultants, other federal agency personnel, and the private sector.

About The Meeting

The GSPE Atlanta Metro Chapter meetings are open to engineering professionals, students, and other interested members of the public. The meetings usually take place on the second Monday of each month, September through June. Normally, the meetings start with F2F networking at 6:00 pm, followed by dinner and the speaker. With the current situation the next few monthly meetings, including the March 8^th meeting will be online only, through the GSPE YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/GSPEng, starting at 7:00. Many engineers enjoy the presentations as well as earn a required Professional Development Hour.