After seeing all the complaints online about the referees in this weekend’s NCAA Women’s Championship game I was reminded of how too many safety pros take on the role of “referee” rather than a “coach” at their facility. It is a mistake made by many younger safety pros who do not have a mentor in…...
“This view of accident causation suggests that unsafe acts are best reduced by eliminating their psychological precursors rather than the acts themselves. However, it must be accepted that whatever measures are taken, some unsafe acts will still occur. It is therefore necessary to provide a variety of defenses to intervene between the act and its…...
The LinkedIn groups are at it again and again I will defend their latest outrage. This time it is “safety metrics”. So let’s recap; so far they have attacked the safety management system, root cause analysis, and risk matrices, and now we move to safety metrics. And like the times before, their rhetoric is way…...
Respondent owns and operates a petroleum product refinery. In May 2017 there was a refinery-wide power outage that resulted in flaring and a large release of sulfur dioxide and flammable materials from the Facility. In response to this incident, members of the public were evacuated, required to shelter in place, or visited the emergency room…...
There are three (3) recognized models upon which Safety Management Systems are built. These models were identified via Dr. James Reason’s research and still hold true today, 30 years later. Safety professionals have to be sure as to not allow their biases to influence which one is best for the organization, as all three have…...
As I have said many times, we MUST examine all Latent Organizational Failures before we even begin to look at the actions of the worker(s). Far too often, investigations will first (and usually only) look at the ACTIVE failures that led to the consequences. This is how so many accidents IMPROPERLY and UNFAIRLY get put…...
A highly resilient organization is a LEARNING organization. Learning organizations exhibit five (5) main characteristics: system thinking, personal mastery, mental models, a shared vision, and team learning… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Highly reliable organizations use a portfolio of programs to maintain the continual improvement of system designs, procedures, and policies. This continuous improvement process allows the organization to RECOGNIZE OPERATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION EARLY and TO DEVELOP CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO BRING THE SYSTEM BACK TO STABILITY The goal of this continuous improvement process is to: PREVENT…...
Risk management strategies can be categorized into four (4) fundamental approaches. They are: Inherent, Passive, Active, and Procedural Let’s discuss what they mean and the order in which we should utilize them. Think along the lines of Hierarchical Control Schemes…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member?...
Several years ago I was asked by a client to throw my name into the ring for a senior-level job at a large chemical company. They were a great client so I obliged and although I had no desire to give up SAFTENG, the interview process was so refreshing. It had such an impact on…...
This flow diagram is presented as an aid and it does not alter or determine OSHA’s Fire Protection compliance responsibilities. The best source of information is the 29 CFR 1910, Subpart L standards. Many thanks to my Friend in Safety from OSHA, Mr. Walter Siegfried for sharing this aid…. Membership Required You must be a...
A fatal explosion at a chemical facility in 2018 killed a welder who was carrying out maintenance work on a mixing vessel. The HSE investigation found that toluene vapors had leaked into the vessel from faulty valves, producing a flammable atmosphere. Workers had checked the atmosphere with a flammable gas monitor before their work began…....
