Last week I wrote about keeping safety simple by building upon the safety foundation that OSHA has provided and as I expected there were some that were insulted by my position on behavior based safety. Some thought I was some kind of “big government” person, which for those that know me are chuckling right now. […]
An employee entered a hot liquid asphalt tank to cut out a section of piping when they became trapped by the tar substance. The employee suffered severe burns to his legs and feet following an 8-hour rescue. As a result of the September 2013 incident, OSHA cited the company with 10 serious safety and health
Call me a simple man educated in Western TN and KY, but to me, safety is VERY SIMPLE and I like to keep it that way. I have been around for 25 years in the Emergency Response field and safety profession and I have had the opportunity to work for some truly world-class companies and
Here’s a safety riddle for you: What do 1910.307(g)(4)(i), Hazardous Locations, Zones, and Professional Engineers have in common? Answer: They are ALL required when your facility has Hazardous Locations using “zones” rather than divisions (e.g. Class I, II, and III areas) to classify an area. In 2007 OSHA did a major revisions of their Electrical
I was doing some research for as client and came across this information, which I think is something many of us have been struggling with. The source is MN-OSHA, which is a state OSHA plan and these plans can be MORE stringent than federal OSHA – but they can NOT be lesser. Which means that
The Industrial Commission of Arizona (“Commission”) has received inquiries concerning a “Final Notice” document that has been received in the mail from the “Labor Standards Compliance Office” with an address of East Thistle Drive in Phoenix, Arizona. This document, believed to be a sales solicitation or advertisement, states that there is a fee of $295.00.
Alaska’s Occupational Safety and Health Review commission hands downs a PRCS decision regarding a “Fish Bin Chiller Alley” at a seafood processing plant. A CSHO stated this corridor, meeting the criteria below, was not only a CS, but it was a PRCS: corridor approximately 60 feet long and 5 feet wide within the corridor there
Sizing emergency venting for atmospheric flammable liquid storage tanks is a safety-critical requirement, yet we often find it undersized. The core objective is to provide sufficient relief capacity so that, in the event of an external “exposure fire,” the tank does not rupture due to rapid internal pressure buildup from vaporizing liquid. Unlike normal venting
Although the revised Hazard Communication Standard (HCS 2012) does not become fully implemented until June 1, 2016, some provisions are already in effect or will soon be in effect (e.g., training). Per 29 CFR 1910.1200(j)(l), by December 1, 2013, all employers whose employees are potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals should have provided training on
Following an incident where a machine operator’s arms were crushed, OSHA cited the manufacturer, whose products are for the oil and gas industry, with eight willful, egregious violations. The company created a dangerous work environment by failing to guard machines, which exposed workers to life-threatening hazards. Proposed penalties total $560,000. OSHA began the September 2013
In August 2013, a 32-year-old machine helper entered a large wire mesh manufacturing machine to retrieve a fallen metal bar, and he was struck and killed by a part that feeds the wire into the machine’s welding area. The light curtain that would have automatically turned the machine off before he entered the danger zone
I want to try an clarify a couple of misconceptions that I and others may have implied over the past year. Each time I do a HAZCOM session I get asked the same questions, not from the workers, but from the EHS/Management personnel overseeing the facility’s HAZCOM program. In this post I try and answer
