If we reverse the brake and accelerator pedals on your car, even if you are warned, and a sign reminds you, you can be sure that sooner or later you will press the accelerator when you meant to brake. Source: Human and organizational factors of safety: a state of the art, Daniellou, F., Simard, M. […]
Most facilities will have a few pieces of equipment that require using a dozen or more energy isolation devices to achieve a full LO’ed situation. Most businesses, at least early on in their implementation of LOTO for these pieces of equipment, will state ALL energy isolation devices will be utilized regardless of the scope of
1101.1 Scope. This chapter shall govern the design, installation, construction, and repair of refrigeration systems. Permanently installed refrigerant storage systems and other components shall be considered as part of the refrigeration system to which they are attached. 1101.1.1 Refrigerants other than ammonia. Refrigeration systems using a refrigerant other than ammonia shall comply with this chapter,
Have you ever seen a setup on a machine, typically those manufactured outside of the USA, with two (2) electrical disconnects? Most of the time, these disconnects are COLOR-CODED to clearly identify their different uses, although we have seen some that were NOT color-coded, nor were they properly labeled! Here is an example of what
Whenever we talk about OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standard, we almost always have to talk about its machine guarding and electrical standards. One crucial requirement in OSHA’s electrical standards, as it relates directly back to LOTO, is … (emphasis by me)
Guidelines for Preparedness and Initial Response to a Pipeline Release of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) This field operations guide is not an educational or decision-making tool. This guide contains a set of operational tools and references to assist in the response to a pipeline release of carbon dioxide (CO2). The priorities for CO2 response are:
An inside look at what OSHA proposes in their Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Program (HIIPP). This is from the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel. This document is meant to outline potential options for the various elements of a proposed rule. OSHA envisions a programmatic standard that could require employers to create
I know by the poll results and the emails/texts/calls I have received these past 2-3 weeks that this post will be met with a healthy dose of skepticism, but that has never stopped me from saying what I believe when it comes to the safety and health of those we have the privilege to protect.
I came across these helpful tips for our Safe Work Permitting System. I hope it can help others…
Today, my “friend in safety” and I continued our debate/discussion regarding the “proper” length of written programs. He staunchly believes that a shorter program will attract more eyes and get used more often. On the other hand, I have programs that are over 50 pages, which blows his mind. He brought a few samples of his
Much can be said about the safety movement mimicking the 1990s Quality Movement in the US automobile industry. Does anyone remember Ford’s “Quality is Job 1” ads? It was a huge branding image effort to compete with Toyota and Honda, who were stealing market share based on the QUALITY of their vehicles. Even today, Toyota
This past week, we saw the 2nd catastrophic failure of an NH3 nurse tank in three months. This is indeed a rare occurrence. Both incidents appear (from news accounts and photos) to be circumferential weld failures on these vessels. Both vessels failed while they contained NH3 (levels unknown), but neither was actively being filled at
