We see this practice all across this great nation as we travel for our work. At most of the plants we visit, backing in is required. Recently, some HOAs took issue with homeowners backing into their driveways. Now I can not find the full story behind this issue with these HOA’s, but these viral videos…...
My friend and one hell of a fine process safety guru in NH3 refrigeration, Brian Chapin, is always sharing this stuff with me. This is another great example of how correlation ≠ does not cause causation. Of course, this is the extreme, but I will bet many of us have seen correlation turn into causation…...
3-way valves have grown in popularity over the past 10-15 years, as they have begun to find their way into relief systems. Today, codes allow “relief trees” to be used, so Pressure Safety Valves can be changed out without emptying and degassing the vessel. The 3-way valve is the means by which the PSV is…...
Principles don’t work when safety is not a value among the people they are meant to guide. In the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“, Stephen R. Covey discusses the difference between principles and values. He does so to show the difference in those “highly effective people”. I want to use the same…...
Snapped this pic on a PSM-covered process. Can you see what it is? Yep, it’s a gauge; a Safety Critical gauge at that. But can you read the gauge? I took the pic at no zoom, so you can get a feel for the level of challenge in reading this “safety critical” gauge, which is…...
This video has been viewed over 1 million times, and I hope those views are by those people who write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). I have never counted how many SOPs I get involved in each year, but I know it’s 100+ across all my clients. My involvement, with my comments and questions, draws a…...
I recently worked on a project with three (3) processes built by three (3) different contractors from three (3) different countries. This business is located in the USA, and the other countries are South Korea, Japan, and China. As you can imagine, we (the USA) use the imperial units of measure, and these other countries…...
Several years back, I worked with an organization that had an in-house Operational Testing program with a really catchy name. I actually loved the name, but as I learned more about the process, it was simply a catchy name for a very bad process. It was an attempt by a business to have BOTH a…...
Imagine driving a vehicle without a dashboard. No feedback whatsoever as to how well you and the vehicle are performing. Sure, we can do it, but without feedback on our performance and the vehicle’s, I doubt we’d meet the state’s defined and quantified standards for “safe operation of a motor vehicle.” Just consider speed as…...
It has taken me 20 years to truly understand what Clive Lloyd said in his book “From Compliance to Care.” One of my top five safety books I recommend for every safety professional and front-line manager. “Behaviors are NOT the problem – they are expressions of the problem.” I have conducted over 100 safety assessments…...
Ensure your “units of measure” are CONSISTENT If the sight-glass for LEVEL is in Inches = the SOP needs to state INCHESIf the TEMPERATURE Gauge/Panel reading is in Degrees C = the SOP needs to be in Degrees CIf the PRESSURE Gauge/Panel reading is in PSIG = the SOP needs to be in PSIG… Membership...
This is a GREAT study, although it was not an extensive study. But when I learned of it from Pete Cutbush, I found the research and thought it was spot on; although that may be my biases shining through. As I was taught by all my former business leaders, leading with safety can influence ALL…...
