Bryan Haywood

Insurance company uses the “intentional non-compliance policy exclusion” clause to refuse claim

/ OSHA Compliance /

A wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operated a trucking unit that transported wastewater. The business that owned the facility and trucking unit applied for insurance coverage. In their insurance application and related correspondence, the business represented that they did not accept, process, transport, or discharge hazardous waste. The insurance company issued a $2 million “Primary Environmental…...

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Incident Alerts – 86 Incidents (51 Industrial, 27 Construction, 1 Workplace Violence, 7 Miscellaneous) January 2018

/ Incident Alerts (2011 - 2018) /

Industrial CRANE FATALITY Spirit worker who died was crushed by an airplane part (worker injured in an accident Nov. 3 has died – he suffered a crushing injury when the load shifted and fell during the lifting of an aircraft part while using an overhead crane) LOADING DOCK FATALITY Police: UPS worker killed in loading…...

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Culture vs. Compliance

/ Safety Management System /

After 25 years of being in the industrial safety profession, I have heard the debate about “culture” to the point it has become ridiculous. I was very fortunate to work for two of the finest plant managers early in my career and both of these men were strong leaders and the safety of those in…...

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Safety does not come naturally!

/ Safety Management System /

Most managers honestly do not want to see anyone get injured, but most of them have never seen what a fully functioning “safety management system” actually looks like and what it actually takes to have some level of assurance that injury prevention efforts are real. Both “Claude” and “Dale” opened my eyes up to a…...

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ASHRAE “2L” Refrigerants get their own Fire Code Requirement in the 2018 IFC

/ Hazardous Materials /

In 2007 the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) revised their standard #34 to include a new Flammability Classification called “2L” Refrigerants.  This new class is based on burning velocities and their lower pressure rise when they are ignited.  The IFC 2018 Edition has caught up and now includes some specific requirements and exemptions for…...

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The line between OSHA and MSHA enforcement just got thinner

/ OSHA Compliance /

This was an interesting decision, as I have always been amazed at the legalities involved with which agency enforces which rules at a specific workplace.  Some workplaces will have to comply with BOTH OSHA and MSHA standards, making safety management even more complicated.  This case involved a “mining company” but the complaint and subsequent citations…...

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Flanges, their bolts, their gaskets, and their TORQUE

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP) /

WOW, just wow, CF Industries has produced a world-class video from an incident they had back in 2015.  You’re in a class on your own when you publically take an incident and turn it into a learning for others to benefit from.  The incident involved a failure of a high-pressure flange on a hydrogen process.  What they…...

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Pallet storage got a lot of attention in the 2018 IFC

/ General Safety Topics /

The storage of wooden and plastic pallets has been a recognized hazard for many for years, but not everyone recognizes the hazard or respects what a pile of pallets can do when they catch on fire.  Those that have seen a pallet fire know first hand how quickly things can get out of hand; this is…...

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NFPA 13 and IFC 2018 now allow storage within 18″ of a sprinkler head

/ Hazardous Materials /

In our line of work, we come across some real doozies when it comes to fire protection arrangements. One of the more common issues we come across is the obstruction of sprinkler heads. Since 1980 OSHA has required that we maintain our storage at least 18″ below any sprinkler head. 1910.159(c)(10) Sprinkler spacing. The employer…...

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OSHA issues Willful and Serious after slag fatalities @ power plant (LOTO and PPE)

/ OSHA Compliance /

OSHA has cited a power company and a contractor after five workers were killed, (1 plant operator and four contractors) and one other suffered serious burns. In June 2017, OSHA determined that the workers were burned when a blockage inside a coal-fired furnace broke free and spewed molten slag into the work area. Employees of…...

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Father and son die in PRCS; son entered, father attempted rescue (H2S)

/ Permit Required Confined Spaces /

At 2:00 p.m. on June 13, 2017, two employees, a father and son team, were replacing a pump. The son was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas and became unconscious. As the father retrieved his son from the pump lift station, he fell and a suffered blunt force trauma injury. Both father and son died.  OSHA…...

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Line Break/Process Opening GONE BAD (NH3 Pump Down)

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP) /

On May 20, 2017, at 11:30 a.m. Employee #1, a refrigeration technician, and a coworker were performing pump down of a live ammonia refrigeration line to make the pipe available for replacement. The two (2) employees had checked the line on the roof with a blower and thinking it was clear, went to the engine…...

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