Those of you that have been reading my materials for the past 20+ years know that I can be rather extreme when it comes to critical safety items such as SCBA’s used in IDLH atmospheres. I make no apologies for my positions and my directness – heck I think more of you need to be […]
The intent of this Regional Emphasis Program is to encourage employers to take steps to address hazards, evaluate facilities to determine if the employer complies with all relevant OSHA requirements, and help employers to correct hazards, thereby reducing potential worker injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Region VII OSHA proposes accomplishment through outreach and enforcement activities. Outreach
Scenario: An employee experienced an injury when sharpening a personal pocket-knife while sitting in a company owned-truck parked in the employer’s parking lot. The employee lacerated the palm of his hand and was treated with seven sutures, and the employee returned to work immediately with no restrictions. You state that because the employee was on his
Way back in 1994 when I was implementing my first FRC program there was a great debate on the options that would be made available to operators, maintenance, engineering, EHS, and QA/QC personnel who perform work within a HAZLOC. This debate was of course driven by costs vs. risks and luckily I was working for
Sometimes the OSHA “Request for public comments” postings contains some really good insights as to the documentation aspect to OSHA compliance. This week’s posting does a nice job of explaining all that is required to document our PPE Hazard Assessments: (emphasis by me, but 100% OSHA wording) Paragraph 1910.132(d)(1) and the Personal Fall Protection standard
This $50 device is priceless in validating that the ventilation system is functioning as designed Verifying that a mechanical exhaust system provides sufficient airflow is critical for preventing the accumulation of flammable vapors. The use of a Vaneometer™ is ideal for monitoring low-velocity air currents (typically 25 to 400 feet per minute) at the face
One of the more common deficiencies that we find in our audits is the lack of electrical gloves testing. 1910.137, Table I-5 establishes the testing frequency for these gloves; however, the confusion comes with the “footnote” which states… If the insulating equipment has been electrically tested but not issued for service, the insulating equipment may not
Many facilities have been struggling with their in-house labeling to meet OSHA’s Global Harmonized Standard (GHS) labeling. I have written on this topic too many times to mention since 2015, but one thing that I am finding and I can not explain is how compressed gas manufacturers have not revised their “shipped container” labels to
It seems we, as a profession, struggle to get a consensus on those three words/phrase. For me, it is crystal clear, but for many others I find they wish to have some “room to work” in how they understand these terms to be used. I am often told I read the OSHA (i.e. barebones MINIMUM
2019 has been a year of coal-fired power plants for me so far! It’s only June, and I have spent more than four weeks in these facilities. With that said, I wanted to provide my friends in that industry who operate an SCR some factual information on their Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3) piping and what ANSI K61.1/CGA
Below are the items on OSHA’s regulatory agenda. I have posted their scope on the standards that play a major role in the facility’s I do work in and links to all of the other items for those of interest to you.
