Did EPA just issue RMP citations because a facility did not have a Car Seal program? Although they mention Lockout/Tagout in their citation, LOTO is NOT the proper control technique for the “sliding line blind” that was “mistakenly opened by an employee during operation of the unit“. LOTO is purely for servicing and maintenance and…...
As summer heat intensifies, OSHA’s focus on preventing heat related illness intensifies. With this intensity, many employers are going hi-tech to collect “heat exposure data” to establish work practices based on exposures. I have seen a recent increase in advertising for devices that can measure wet-bulb temperatures in workplaces and they are tying these reading…...
Over 12,500 exclusive unsafe acts/conditions and accident/injuries photos and over 1,100 ppt’s & doc’s from more than 2,797 contributors! 2015 Fatality Tracker Electrical 23 (2014 =55) (2013 = 32) (2012 = 68) Forklift/Aerial 21 (2014 = 60) (2013=62) (2012 = 52) Mining* 16 (2014 = 401) (2013=87*) (2012 = 92*) *ONLY developed nations and…...
May 29, 2015 MEMORANDUM FOR: REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS THROUGH: DOROTHY DOUGHERTYDeputy Assistant Secretary FROM: THOMAS GALASSI, DirectorDirectorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP) SUBJECT: Interim Enforcement Guidance for Hazard Communication 2012 (HCS 2012) June 1, 2015 Effective Date This memorandum is to provide additional, interim guidance on the Hazard Communication 2012 June 1, 2015 effective date. OSHA provided…...
I am often asked why I am such a stickler for unloading/loading HAZMATS and where I come up all of “my requirements” for these tasks. Yes, I am a stickler for these tasks as my career has seen its fair share of unloading/loading incidents. As for “my requirements” I can not actually take credit for…...
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The Technical Committee has completed the second draft revisions and, absent any Notice of Intent to Make a Motion (NITMAMs), the new guide will be released this coming November! This document explains “how to” comply with provisions in the existing confined space regulations and standards by providing more detailed guidance on subjects such as hazard…...
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) completed a study of combustible dust hazards in late 2006, which identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that killed 119 workers and injured another 718. Based on these findings, the CSB recommended OSHA pursue a rulemaking on this issue. OSHA has previously addressed aspects of this…...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SERs) for a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel. This panel will focus on the Agency’s development of a rule that proposes to modify the current Risk Management Plan (RMP) regulation to reduce the likelihood of…...
Several million American workers wear respirators on a regular basis, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that nonagricultural firms have a respiratory protection program. This article uses the OSHA inspection data base to examine all inspections in manufacturing in 47 states from 1999 through 2006; the examination starts with 1999 because an…...
It has taken me 25 years to diagnose it, but I have finally establish the “Delusional Safety Syndrome” (DSS). It is the only mental illness known at this time that is actually contagious. It is spread by close contact with an infected person. It can lie dormant for years and the infected person can spread…...
This is a follow up to my July 2013 article “Making the case my PSM/RMP covered process complies with RAGAGEPs (Piping)”. With OSHA’s recent memo on “RAGAGEP in Process Safety Management Enforcement” I have received renewed request to explain how a facility can demonstrate their vessels/tanks comply with RAGAGEP(s). Here it goes:… Membership Required You...
