Safety Info Posts

Fire Watch dies fighting flammable liquid fire ignited by cutting and welding

At 10:30 am, on October 16, 2023, Employee #1, 20, was working for a construction gas & oil support contractor. Coworkers were cutting and welding an eye-lifting plate on a compressor skid. A fire hazard consisting of miscellaneous petroleum products had been allowed to accumulate on, in, and around the compressor skid area…. Membership Required...

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Secondary Containment and “Equalization” of tanks

I think most EHS professionals will agree that bulk tanks of hazardous materials need some means of “secondary containment”. This practice has been in place for my entire career and rarely gets challenged. However, in recent years I have come across several scenarios where either the facility/unit designed the process to function this way or…...

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CSB Releases Second Update into Fatal Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Release at PEMEX Refinery in Deer Park, Texas

Today, the CSB released a second update on its ongoing investigation into the fatal hydrogen sulfide (H2S) release that occurred on October 10, 2024, at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Deer Park, Texas. Two contract workers died during the incident, and over 27,000 pounds of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas were released. Local authorities issued…...

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If we are not trending the findings from our 3-year PSM/RMP audits, WTH are we doing?

We see this far too often… a management system failure related to 3-year PSM/RMP audits. A company with multiple facilities should be “trending” its 3-year audit findings to IDENTIFY opportunities for improvement across the company. I did this years ago when I was a member of the Corporate EHS Team for a semi-conductor. And was…...

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If we are not trending the findings from our 3-year PSM/RMP audits, WTH are we doing? Read More »

Overfilling and filling the out-of-date compressed gas cylinder led to the triple fatal LPG explosion

The explosion at an auto repair shop in Hillsboro, OH that claimed the lives of three (3) workers, aged 19, 33, and 47 in 2023 has been determined to have been caused by a rupture to an LPG cylinder that had been overfilled and past its requalification date by 33 years. I would also like…...

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Overfilling and filling the out-of-date compressed gas cylinder led to the triple fatal LPG explosion Read More »

Proposed changes to the OH Fire Code

The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of State Fire Marshal (SFM) is in the process of updating all chapters of Ohio Administrative Code sections 1301:7-7-01 – 1301:7-7-80, collectively known as the Ohio Fire Code (OFC). When the update process is complete, the new 2025 OFC will be adopted and is currently anticipated to take effect in…...

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Failing to control flammable vapor results in severe injuries for by-stander (video)

A video I posted over two years ago has come full circle. A citizen (some may call him homeless) was allowed to sit (and smoke) within 20′ of a gasoline tanker unloading operation at a gas station. His actions may not have been his sole demise, as we can see in the video evidence that…...

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Hot Work and the cylinders used and the 35′ rule (Video)

Back in 2010, I posed the question… do the oxygen and acetylene cylinders that are being used to perform the Hot Work need to be 35′ away from the point of the Hot Work? For those who commented, it was clear they thought I was crazy. “It has never been enforced”, “I have been welding/cutting…...

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Safety and the “Stroop Effect”

If you have read any of my posts about safety management and what a safety management system should look like, you know I am all about “walking the talk” and how this simple failure of the senior leadership team is the most effective manner of destroying TRUST and CREDIBILITY within the safety movement. Workers, especially…...

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United States v. [construction company owner]

On February 19, 2025, a court sentenced a construction company owner to 48 months’ incarceration and to pay more than $55 million in restitution. Also, he will forfeit real estate and cash/bank accounts. He pleaded guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and a willful violation of the Occupational Safety…...

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I have uploaded my “Culture of Safety” presentations to the Document Library

I have uploaded both my 2023-2024 and the 2025 editions of the PowerPoint presentations “Culture of Safety”. These are the presentations I use at the C-Suite Level and when presenting at Company EHS Conferences. Feel free to revise to meet your needs. The presentations were developed using materials from OSHA, The UK’s HSE, and Scotland’s…...

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