This Service Advisory is to inform you of actions you need to take regarding your MSA SENTRY io controllers if your unit is installed in an outdoor location or other environment subject to water ingress. If your unit is not installed in either of these conditions, no action is needed. Potentially affected models were manufactured […]
Service Advisory: MSA SENTRY io™ Controller Ingress Protection Read More »
Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST Social media can be a great thing, especially for getting the word out about your services/offerings and showcasing through pictures and videos the work you absolutely should be proud of. Or, should you be proud of it? Yep, this won’t be popular but needs to be said. Engineers, service technicians,
Dear Ammonia Refrigeration Contractors… Let’s talk about your marketing campaign Read More »
Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST No, it doesn’t involve anything with refrigeration. Same equipment, the same people, and a better layout to improve efficiency. So why would an MOC be required if it doesn’t impact refrigeration/PSM? Well, we have to think a little beyond equipment changes in the refrigeration system for a moment, or procedural
An MOC for relocating a production line in a food processing facility? Read More »
Many folks will focus on ONLY three (3) criteria for applying this “exception” to OSHA LOTO standard 1910.147. And these (3) criteria are just opening the gates to LOTO Hell. Far too often we find the “exception” has become the rule and LOTO has become the exception. So what are the FIVE (5) criteria we…...
LOTO Safety Myth #2 (Minor Servicing Exception) Read More »
I have written dozens of articles around these “safety myths”, but Jonathan Zimmerman and I were not selected to present this at ASSP several years ago so I thought I would share it as a series here. These are topics that I still get challenged on in 2024/2025 and often I am unable to convince…...
LOTO Safety Myth #1 Read More »
Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST One of the challenges to my post was “What if the flagging tape was to indicate that the valve was in an abnormal position?” This was followed up with a challenge as to whether or not anything forbids such a method. Operating procedures should be designed to meet the requirements…...
When will the ammonia refrigeration industry finally embrace LOTO? (Part II) Read More »
In memory of James Reason, I thought it would be fitting to share, in my professional opinion, one of the greatest safety models of my career. If businesses could just embrace this model when it comes to how they investigate events, we could move workplace safety forward a couple of decades. The model is quite
Safety Thought of the Week… Reason’s “Swiss cheese” model of accident causation Read More »
By: Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST Flagging tape is not LOTO! And never has been. I would bet good money the operating procedure for this compressor has LOTO covered, but those are just documents to look good in a binder sitting on a shelf collecting dust because they are viewed as a necessary evil to…...
When will the ammonia refrigeration industry finally embrace LOTO? (Part I) Read More »
On June 14, 2024, at 2:08 p.m., a 52-year-old firefighter with 19 years of firefighting experience died while fighting a fire on a front-end loader. The front-end loader’s left rear tire exploded, and the force struck the firefighter. The accident occurred because the FF was approximately four (4) feet from the tire when acombustion explosion
MSHA issues report on Firefighters death from Excavator Tire Explosion Read More »
Many types of industrial equipment can potentially produce an explosive oil mist if a fault develops. This includes almost all equipment where oil is under pressure, such as hydraulic systems, pressurised lubrication, oil-based heat transfer systems among others. These are in widespread use and appear in many industries, such as service plant rooms and production
Area Classification for Oil Mists (MISTS2): Summary Report (UK’s HSE) Read More »
HSE has identified inconsistencies in the application and supervision of welding of safety-critical metallic components. Such shortcomings have led to failures with high consequences such as fatalities. A study was carried out to identify common causes of these and to highlight priority areas for improvement of weld quality in industry. Cases were assessed from within
When welding goes wrong: Learning from past failures (UK’s HSE) Read More »
