On May 14, 2022, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conducted a full-scale shell impact test (Test 13) of a DOT-113C120W9 (also identified as DOT-113) specification tank car at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, CO. This test was the final impact test in a planned series of four. A DOT-113 is a double-walled tank […]
How many times have you paused before entering a high-noise area to put in your hearing protection, only to get strange looks like, “WTH is taking you so long?” Most workers and even a fair amount of safety professionals do not understand the “subtract 7” approach when performing the attenuation evaluation. The “subtract 7” approach
I have been preaching one simple approach to safety management my entire career after having learned it from the master himself… Claude Bloom. BALANCE is the KEY. There is no one magical approach to managing safety in the workplace. These days the big catchphrases are HOP and Psychological Safety. I am a believer in both
This is my “high-level” presentation to management teams on what the journey will look like and the effort it will take. It is one thing to say “we want to be world-class” vs. what it will take to get there AND stay there. Heck, I have yet to find a management group that could collectively
At 2:00 p.m. on October 12, 2021, an employee was working on top of a fermentation tank (a confined space), preparing to install a spray nozzle and attach it via a hose to the pump-over riser to begin a pump over. The employee opened the fermentation tank and was found lying on the platform with
At 1:00 p.m. on December 16, 2021, an employee was retrieving a waste drum that had fallen into a trash compactor. While the employee was inside the compactor, the waste company attempted to remove the compactor, and the employee was unable to exit. The employee suffered crush/contusion injuries from the waste compactor and was hospitalized,
At 4:45 p.m. on December 3, 2021, an employee was using a propane torch to loosen asphalt from the ejection chute of a silo while cleaning the chute. A flash fire occurred at the opening of the chute, striking the employee. The employee incurred 3rd-degree burns on 65% to 75% of his body, a broken
At 4:30 a.m. on December 31, 2021, two employees were walking in a Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) traffic area when an Electrical Tow Motor struck them. The employer established a PIT traffic only during dispatching hours between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., which is enforced by posting a supervisor to stop foot traffic. The facility
At 1:30 p.m. on December 27, 2021, two employees worked in spray painting operations on a ship. At some point, the hose line was clogged with debris and paint material. The employees poured paint thinner into the hose to attempt to clear the clog. Employee #1 held the hose line while Employee #2 regulated the
An into to using a Risk Matrix, with working examples. I use the most basic 9-Block matrix in this session. What is a Risk Matrix? Why use a Risk Metrix? Likelihood and Severity Worked Examples
