OSHA Compliance

Golf carts need to be managed as a Powered Industrial Truck (PIT)

/ Industrial Accident Alerts, OSHA Compliance /

It is my professional opinion that “golf carts” need to be managed as a Powered Industrial Truck (PIT). I have seen firsthand three (3) serious accidents resulting in life-altering injuries. We see fatalities like this one several times a year: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/worker-at-nh-storage-facility-dies-after-being-pinned-under-golf-cart/3803079… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Pressure Testing Gone Bad (Fatality – Flange bolts not torqued properly)

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP), Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance /

On March 6, 2018, a 49-year-old pipefitter was hit in the chest by a pressurized 12-inch diameter polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe during a hydrostatic pressure test of a fire suppression system. The sudden pipe movement was attributed to a pipe joint connection failure in a buried section of the pipeline. The failure was due to…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

OSHA to revise the medical evaluation provisions for FFRs and loose-fitting PAPRs

/ OSHA Compliance, Respiratory Protection /

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intends to update the medical evaluation provisions currently required by the Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and loose-fitting powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs). This action will be deregulatory and / or burden reducing to employers whose employees wear such devices. This rulemaking…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Looks like OSHA will move forward with the REVISED LOTO standard

/ Lockout Tagout, OSHA Compliance /

OSHA updated its agenda page and is saying it will publish an NPRM for the LOTO standard this December. Recent technological advancements that employ computer-based controls of hazardous energy (e.g., mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, chemical, and radiation) conflict with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) existing lock-out/tag-out (LOTO) standard. The use of these computer-based controls…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Storing Acetylene/Oxygen cutting rigs in shipping containers

/ Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance /

Upon investigation, it was found that an oxygen–acetylene welding setup inside the shipping container leaked, causing the closed shipping container to fill with the highly flammable mixture of oxygen and acetylene. There was also an upright freezer in use, powered by an extension cord running into the shipping container. This energized equipment provided an ignition…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

OSHA rescinds and replaces the memorandum dated January 26, 2023, on “Violation Grouping and Discretionary Ungrouping”

/ OSHA Compliance /

This memorandum rescinds and replaces the memorandum dated January 26, 2023, on the same subject. This memorandum further clarifies the policy described in the earlier memorandum. Under this policy, Regional Administrators and/or Area Directors may refrain from grouping violations where the violations are separate and distinct, even if other OSHA policies or directives recommend grouping…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

H2S has has claimed eleven (11) souls in 7 days (3 different events)

/ Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

In less than one (1) week, Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) has claimed eleven (11) souls: Six (6) at a Dairy in CO Three (3) in a sewer in TX Two (2) in a Sewage Treatment Plant This chemical has a long history of killing workers: (Note: SAFTENG membership required to access article)… Membership Required You must...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The real role of the “buddy system” in OSHA/EPA’s HAZWOPER

/ Emergency Response, OSHA Compliance /

Almost everyone involved in emergency response is aware of the “buddy system” (e.g., 2 in-2 out rule); however, many merely treat this as a “check box” approach as compared to having real rescue capabilities for the entry team. I always ask my students if they believe they could lift and carry a grown adult in…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Triple H2S Fatal Event in Sewer (Single Entrant & 2 would be rescuers)

/ OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

RIP 🙏 Another H2S PRCS event claimed three (3) souls This was also a SINGLE ENTRANT with two (2) “would-be rescuers”… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Line Break Gone Bad (Cl2)

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP), Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance /

This event is a perfect example of why all piping openings are hazardous. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on November 15, 2006, Employee #1 was a process operator at the Chlorine Liquefaction Unit, Block A-19. He was preparing to bleed off chlorine on a process line to clear the line for maintenance work. The valve handle…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

OSHA issues Facility Siting citation under 5(a)(1) rather than PSM

/ Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP), Hazardous Materials, OSHA Compliance /

NOTE: these are from the fatal 2014 NH3 Truck Unloading accident, where the “bleed tank” (which was a plastic IBC) catastrophically failed because a liquid NH3 valve was left open. I have no idea why this 5(a)(1) was not issued as a RAGAGEP citation using ANSI K61/CGA 2.1, which is where the facility siting requirements…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

OSHA Willfuls for PRCS accident ($252K)

/ OSHA Compliance, Permit Required Confined Spaces /

OSHA has cited a commercial laundry company for alleged workplace safety hazards after an employee injury. OSHA opened an investigation following a referral from the local Police Department. OSHA inspectors determined that on Jan. 18, 2025, a worker suffered serious injuries while performing maintenance on an industrial dryer.  The agency issued three willful and nine…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here
Scroll to Top