OSHA Compliance

OSHA getting better educated on the Combustible Dust Process Hazards

Last month, Federal OSHA issued a three (3) part GDC citation for a Polishing and Sanding Area’s combustible dust system. Specifically OSHA took issue with the Design and Operation of the Combustible Dust Collection system:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

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What does AI say about too high of QNFT results?

I have written several articles on Fit test Records with QNFT results, exceeding 10,000. I have seen number as high as 500,000. And to be honest I’m not sure why the makers of the QNFT machines even have the ability to record numbers over 10,000, as most of these manufacturers will state anything over 10,000…...

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Which comes first: Fit testing or Training?

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…...

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Another cooling tower and another PRCS

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…...

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E-Stops: Process Safety vs Machine Safety

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…...

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PRCS Fatality (H2S and CO w/ $204K in citations – ALL contested)

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…...

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Line Break Gone Bad (Pressure)

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…...

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A worker dies cutting a hole in a tank for a level indicator

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…...

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PFAS with SRL is NOT designed to protect a worker while on top of MOVING railcar!

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…...

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“Pouring Conduit” in my HAZLOCs (Video)

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…...

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KNOW the limitations of your atmospheric monitors!

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...

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“Gas Detection” requirements coming to the OH Fire Code (2024 Edition)

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…...

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