I have to first point out that OR-OSHA is a “state plan” ( and my personal favorite!) and is specific to employers in the state of Oregon (OR), but their 2020 LOI on maintaining SDSs electronically points out something that many (including me) have not considered. I have been telling all my clients for decades […]
OSHA has updated their COVID Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with the addition of three (3) new Q and A’s regarding COVID vaccinations and recordability related to adverse reactions to the vaccine:
OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm in that employees who performed hydrostatic testing were exposed to struck-by hazards due to the lack of specific testing procedures
The federal OSHA standard(s) are not very helpful when it comes to guidance on guarding hot surfaces and this causes many debates during audits, HAZ assessments, and Pre-Start Up Safety Reviews (PSSR). We probably are all aware of the seven (7) feet rule for guarding “fan blades”… 1910.212(a)(5) Exposure of blades. When the periphery of
Most safety professionals attribute “safe work permitting” to process safety, Line Breaks/Process Openings, LOTO, Hotwork, and PRCS. But my first exposure to work permits was because of OSHA’s Hazardous Communications standard… 1910.1200(e)(1)(ii) The methods the employer will use to inform employees of the hazards of non-routine tasks (for example, the cleaning of reactor vessels), and
Before you go off saying their standards are different than ours, these EXCEL Spreadsheets can be modified using OSHA numbers/factors. These are just EXCELLENT TOOLS for those of you trying to establish if workers are exceeding the Action Level or PEL for noise exposures AND these tools will perform the “Hearing Protection Attenuation” evaluation for
Recently we witnessed an electrical work perform a lockout on a piece of equipment that was not starting during the start-up phase of the process. This piece of equipment was absolutely critical for the process to run safely so this worker and the facility personnel witnessing this as well failed to recognize a CRITICAL mistake
March 12, 2021 MEMORANDUM FOR: REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS STATE PLAN DESIGNEES THROUGH AMANDA EDENS Deputy Assistant Secretary FROM: PATRICK J. KAPUST, Acting Director Directorate of Enforcement Programs SUBJECT: Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) This Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) provides new instructions and guidance to
A 32-year-old male employee was crushed by/caught in a rotating machine roller while attempting to package a mattress. The victim was in the process of operating the machine, rolling, and wrapping a twin-sized mattress with cellophane to prepare it for packaging and shipping when he was caught by the roller. Two machines function together to
2020 Overall 1910 MFC Top 10: Take note: Six (6) of the top ten are from HAZCOM, Machine Guarding, and Respirator standards. And sadly, the HAZCOM issues are NOT related to the new GHS changes, but the same old issues: No written
Three (3) Elk Grove Village Fire Department investigators, along with one from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), established that a faulty 1/4″ drain valve on a vessel level controller system caused the liquid ammonia leak at the food processing plant in Elk Grove Village, IL. The leak led to an explosion
An account administrator at a securities firm was working overtime in a section of a vault. At 7:10 p.m., security personnel closed and locked the vault. The employee was working in a section of the vault accessible only with a swipe card. The security guard did not have a swipe card and did not access
