Not meant to be a trick question, but we see this failure often, especially when the facility utilizes “test vans” for their One-Stop safety testing that includes Audiograms for HCP requiremenrts and Fit Testing for the RP program. This applies ONLY to those doing Quantitative Fit Testing (QNFT). If we are doing QNFT, such as…...
Another international brand of cooling towers/evaporative condensers is marketing their product as if it is NOT a Confined Space or a Permit-Required Confined Space. For those who follow my safety rampages, know how this enrages me! As shown by the pictures below, this Cooling Tower is without question a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS); however, as…...
I see this all the time… E-stops on Hazardous Materials process located at the point of the expected/intended failure point, such as a loading/unloading station. Many safety pros have experience with E-stops as a safety device for machinery/equipment, in which the E-stop is located at the point of potential entrapment inside the machine/equipment. Even ANSI…...
On September 13, 2024, at 7:31 a.m. Employee #1, a 34-year-old, was working inside a 9-foot-deep sewer manhole in Minnesota. The employee was performing a construction task to cement the end of a pipeline, sealing an old sewer line. The employee was NOT wearing a harness or hooked up to a tripod, and was working…...
On February 16, 2022, at approximately 10:00 a.m., Employee #1, 28, was disconnecting a pipe and failed to release the pressure inside the pipe. When Employee#1 removed the screws from the pipe flange, the flange broke off and struck the employee’s leg resulting in a tibia fracture. The employee was hospitalized for treatment. No OSHA…...
At 1:00 p.m. on December 10, 2024, Employee #1, 28, was using a torch to heat the steel lid of a tank, intending to cut a hole for installing a level indicator. The flammable gas inside the tank ignited when the torch was applied, causing the tank to rupture. The employee’s lanyard was cut during…...
At 6:45 p.m. on December 13, 2024, an employee, 33, working as a laborer for a grain wholesale supplier was opening lids on top of rail cars prior to loading. The employee stepped from the catwalk onto the railcars while they were stationary. He was standing on top of one of the railcars with a…...
What exactly does this phrase mean, and how is it done? This is a CRITICAL aspect for conduit in our Hazardous Locations (HAZLOC). It is something we should be checking (sampling) in our conduit runs in our HAZLOCs. The video below is by far the best I have ever seen that explains why we “pour…...
A former (sort of) client has suffered a serious event simply because they failed to follow the direct reading instrument manufacturer’s WARNINGS. The space being monitored involved NH3. The facility was using the WRONG PUMP and WRONG SAMPLING TUBE! (emphasis by me, and I have removed the brand name from the post)… Membership Required You...
The state of OH is currently working on its next revision of the State Fire Code. As in the past, the basis for these revisions comes from the International Fire Code (IFC). One major revision for those in the state of OH will be Section 916 – Gas Detection. This is an EXCELLENT RAGAGEP for…...
I often discuss how organizations need to audit, inspect, and verify their safeguards to either reduce the probability or severity of an undesired event. Most safety professionals are accustomed to auditing our safe work practices, behaviors, and other related aspects. In Process Safety, most safety engineers are accustomed to conducting annual functional testing of their…...
Since 2024, 33 mines have been granted the use of a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) through the Petition for Modification process. Electromagnetic interference can cause failure of a miner-worn Proximity Detection System (PDS) if it is not worn as recommended, such as being worn TOO CLOSE to the battery or motor/blower of a PAPR…....
