Does it bother anyone when we see this sign? I am not telling you anything you don’t already know… Hearing Protection is very much like Respiratory Protection – it comes with some serious limitations and is based on the worker’s EXPOSURE. However, as a consultant working in plants, I am always told in my contractor […]
I am not a big fan of government intervention, but in the safety envelope, they play a role in validating that minimum standards are being met. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) audits service providers who inspect HAZMAT transportation containers. Beginning in June 2023, during an investigation at a manufacturer in Fresno, California, FMCSA
PHMSA proposes revisions to the pipeline safety regulations to require operators of gas distribution pipelines to update their distribution integrity management programs (DIMP), emergency response plans, operations and maintenance manuals, and other safety practices These proposals implement provisions of the Leonel Rondon Pipeline Safety Act—part of the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety
I don’t think many safety pros would argue with this statement: LOTO requires that all forms of hazardous energy be taken to a ZES before servicing and maintenance begin. But I have had many discussions about DEFINING and QUANTIFYING what a “hazardous form of energy” is. Since OSHA has not quantified the term “hazardous energy”,
The United States Court of Appeals for The Sixth Circuit says it does. More than fifty years ago, Congress passed, and President Nixon signed into law, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, 29 U.S.C. § 651 et seq. Throughout the next half century, challenges to the constitutionality of the Act have been uniformly rejected.
Earlier this month, I wrote Cuts so deep that workers can’t participate in their safety process concerning how reorganizational changes can lead to a lean workforce that the workers who need to participate in their safety process do not have the time to. Now, let’s take a look at what happens when the layer of
Never forget that management is intended to drive the “safety vehicle.” We are just the GPS navigation helping plot the course and stay on course.
Professor James Reason had a similar image to today’s “Work as imagined vs. Work as done” model. This image is from his 1997 book titled “Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents“ It shows the “ideal” layers of protection model (i.e., the pieces of cheese with no holes) vs. the “reality” (i.e., the pieces of cheese
One of the most common valves used in industrial settings is the 1/4-turn ball valve. From 1/4″ up to 6″, these valves are everywhere, regardless of the risks they may pose. Recently a client and I discussed these valves and their risk in highly hazardous chemical processing. I have had several incidents over my career
The 100-Hour Rule is the theory that to master a topic and get the benefits of greatness doesn’t need to take 10,000 hours. Rather, it can often take approximately 100 hours if you break down skills into rare and valuable micro-skills. It is an exciting study that seems to have some validity to it. Basically,
What is the difference between “root cause” and “direct cause”? (Please note that I am only using the single tense of these terms in the question; I am not implying these causes can only be singular.) But I tend to see a lot of “direct causes” being tagged as “root causes,” and in my eye,
“A major flaw in our system of government, and even in industry, is the latitude allowed to do less than is necessary. Too often, officials are willing to accept and adapt to situations they know to be wrong. The tendency is to down-play problems instead of actively trying to correct them. Recognizing this, many subordinates
