How I wish that news reporters would exercise reasonable skepticism! This current example is how National Public Radio has let a soothing meme infiltrate the news stories.
Down below you'll see how a reasonable statement about documentation ended up being a statement that the explosions such as in China would not happen in the USA.
The source is talking about 'transit warehouses' and 'material safety data sheets'. From what I've read, the explosions and fires are in a port and involve cargo containers...and we don't know what's in containers. So further below are some notes on that.
Why is it that reporters have so little awareness of the situations they are describing?
Leggett said
“America, where you have these sorts of transit warehouses, material safety data sheets accompany chemicals, and a good, well-run company will have a list of these material data safety sheets for every single chemical that will be in the facility, even if it's only there for 12 hours, with the result that when the firefighters have to show up to do a firefighting activity, they will have the ability to refer to the material safety data sheets which can help them understand the best way to fight a fire.”
http://www.npr.org/...
“LEGGETT: I really believe we have a significantly better system, which does not mean that it can't happen. Handled properly and handled appropriately, it's a very safe system. If you don't get the handling right, then you are asking for trouble.”
but
a later story changed the perspective
“Leggett said Chinese authorities — unlike their U.S. counterparts — may have lacked thorough documentation of the chemicals moving through the country's transit facilities, and that the detection of sodium cyanide in a nearby sewer could be concerning.”
http://www.npr.org/...
http://www.npr.org/...
Mark Hanafee, director for safety at the terminal, says no one on the pier knows for sure what's inside them. "We know the contents of anything that's hazardous, but general cargo we don't know.”
Construction begins in Boston
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/...
Published 21 May 2015
Passport Systems has started construction on a non-intrusive cargo inspection facility at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), Port of Boston, Conley Container Terminal in South Boston.