A federal investigation has found that the operator of a specialty frozen pizza manufacturing plant in Illinois could have prevented the death of a 29-year-old sanitation worker by following proper machine safety procedures. OSHA CSHOs learned the sanitation worker suffered fatal injuries while working on the overnight shift under the supervision of the Pizza Company…...
A 29-year-old worker suffered the amputation of a fingertip while reassembling a pump, an injury the employer could have prevented by ensuring to shutdown and lockout the equipment to prevent it from unexpectedly starting during maintenance. OSHA investigated after the company reported the December 2022 injury and found the employer did not train workers on…...
OSHA LOTO citations after amputation of a fingertip while reassembling a pump ($298K) Read More »
This happens more often than most think: At 6:30 a.m. on December 7, 2022, an employee was removing wood bark from a de-barker machine at the CHANGE OF NIGHT SHIFT WHEN A DAY SHIFT COWORKER STARTED THE DE- BARKER. The employee was crushed and killed due to internal injuries. Had the worker performing the “cleaning”…...
We are all familiar with OSHA’s LOTO Periodic Inspection requirements (1910.147(c)(6)). It is a topic of great debate, still in the Year 2023. But there is a serious, I say it is a fatal flaw in the periodic inspection process. It is common for this activity to be performed by managers/supervisors who are authorized in…...
Fatal flaw in OSHA’s “Periodic Inspection” requirements Read More »
I am not trying to start another LOTO fight about Lockout vs Tagout, but for those who do work in the state of KY, it is important to know that KY-OSHA does NOT allow an employer to utilize TAGOUT when the device can accept a lock. This is different than what Federal OSHA allows. Federal…...
KY OSHA does not allow Tagout when the device can take a lock Read More »
In OSHA’s fiscal year 2022, the agency issued over 3,800 LOTO citations. Here is a breakdown of those citations… Top 10 by # of Citations Top 10 by Citations $ Full listing of Citations with Number of Citations and $… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member?...
A detailed look at OSHA’s 2022 LOTO citations Read More »
Employers are required by 29 CFR* § 1910.147(c)(6) to conduct a periodic inspection of written hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) procedures. The inspection must be performed at least once annually [per 12-month interval, as stated in 1910.147(c)(6)(i)] because of the significant risks associated with inadequate energy control procedures or the failure to properly implement them [OSHA…...
When workers say to me, “that hardly ever happens” I just shake my head. It happens far more often than most people think. I mean, think about why did OSHA promulgate the LOTO standard – people were turning on machines with workers inside. But this case was exceptionally bad! A father found his son inside…...
The horrors of improper LOTO Read More »
A 48-year-old male employee was crushed inside a machine (COS) while adjusting the grippers that place lead cells into batteries. This employer is a battery manufacturer. On the day of the incident, the victim was called by the machine operator to troubleshoot the COS machine because the grippers were not working. It was determined that…...
LOTO Fatality (Interlocked Protected Area) Read More »
At 10:15 a.m. on February 16, 2022, Employee #1, 27, removed a flange from an overhead pipe as part of a multi-employer pipe replacement project. He was not aware that a different pipeline had been locked out. A heated slurry solution of boric acid and zinc oxide was released from the pipe he was working…...
Line Break gone bad (boric acid and zinc oxide) Read More »
If you have ever taught a LOTO course, you know that you will always get the questions… “Is ___ psi a hazardous energy source?”. Regardless of the gas’s inherent hazard(s), we should always answer by saying “Zero = Zero,” and in LOTO, we are required to achieve a zero energy state. So, any psi of…...
Hazardous Energy – visual display of PSI Read More »
How did you spend your Friday night and Saturday? Me? I spent mine helping a client manage a traumatic injury to a new employee with less than 3-weeks on the job. And like most employers, this company truly cares about their employees and honestly wants the best for their employees. This business may be the…...
Why being “Authorized” means something in LOTO Read More »
