In February 2024, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and PHMSA issued a safety advisory to provide notice of the possibility of catastrophic failure of nurse tanks. This notice focused on nurse tanks manufactured from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2011, by American Welding and Tank (AWT) at its Fremont, Ohio plant. Nurse […]
Think about… when we are working around chemicals, we typically look at forms of exposure such as inhalation, absorption through the skin, etc., and we wear the appropriate PPE. For example, we may wear a full-face respirator, gloves, and an apron to protect against splash and vapors. But there is one organ that is normally
This is a pet peeve of mine: DETAILS MATTER in safety procedures and safe work practices. One thing we commonly find is some very generic language in LOTO procedures for how to verify each energy source has been isolated and is at a Zero Energy State (ZES). For example, you’re performing a “periodic inspection,” and
OSHA has cited a big rig parts distributor for 16 serious safety violations after an investigation into a worker fatality found the company exposed workers to confined space and other safety hazards. OSHA initiated an inspection on Jan. 7, 2026, after an employee asphyxiated while inspecting a tanker trailer. OSHA cited the company for 16
This is WHY we need the CSB! We would never get this type of analysis from an OSHA investigation/report. No offense to my friends at OSHA, its just this type of analysis and passing on the critical information is not part of their charter. Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released
Every once in a while, I come across a process design that leads to code issues down the road. This usually occurs with small pressure vessels (e.g., less than 5 cubic ft) that fall outside the scope of ASME Section VIII and also fall outside the scope of being a “confined space” (e.g., too small
PLEASE ensure your “life safety” contractor inspector for Exits, Fire Extinguishers, EW/SSs, etc., is FULLY trained on the hazards of the area(s) they will be working in. This year, we have found two (2) national companies that provide these inspection services using electronic devices NOT rated for the hazardous areas where they are working. We
In an industrial and occupational safety context, a line break accident occurs when workers open pipes, valves, flanges, or vessels containing hazardous materials—such as toxic chemicals, flammable liquids, high-pressure gases, or high-temperature steam—and an unintended release occurs. Because these accidents can result in severe chemical burns, toxic inhalation, explosions, or physical trauma from pressure blasts,
OSHA uses the word “specific” 10 times in its LOTO standard, and yet, the vast majority of the LOTO programs we come across are not even specific to the facility, much less specific in how they define and quantify critical elements. To save you time from looking them all up to prove I’m wrong, here
OSHA 1910.147(d)(5)(ii) is one of the most critical, yet frequently overlooked, requirements of the Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standard. It moves LOTO from a static, one-time task (“lock it and check it”) to a dynamic process that accounts for the physical reality of residual and regenerative energy. Think about isolating “compressed air” to a machine/equipment and the
Four (4) workers were injured at a worksite on April 30, 2024, while offloading flammable solvents from a vacuum truck into a storage tanker. At the same time, other workers positioned a hydrovac truck in an adjacent bay to offload a wastewater-and-slurry mixture. During this process, flammable vapors were released and drawn into the idling
An independent contractor in Denton, Texas, was severely burned and fell from an extension ladder after his clothing ignited during a flash fire. The worker was torch-cutting steel walls on a transformer unit to dismantle it for a scrapyard. A lawsuit filed in late June alleges the provided fire watch was improperly positioned and inattentive.
