Let the official record show… the term “just culture” originated in 1990’s from none other than Dr. James Reason. So all of these consultants using LinkedIn as their marketing platform, decrying a “just culture” is nothing new! Most of us have been simply managing our safety and health efforts with the WORKERS who do the […]
Leadership and culture are two sides of the same coin; neither can be realized without the other. Leaders create and manage the culture in their organizations by maintaining safety as a VALUE, communicating their safety expectations to the workers, setting the standard for safety through actions, not talk (walk the talk), and leading needed change
I will never understand why/how a location identifies a hazard, in this case, OSHA identified it, failed to take that learning, and did NOT APPLY it across the business where that hazard is present. In this case, a federal workplace safety investigation at a cattle processing plant – now cited seven times by inspectors for
OSHA determined that the employer of a 25-year-old welder – who suffered fatal injuries in an explosion in July 2022 – could have prevented the tragedy by following federal workplace safety standards. OSHA learned the explosion occurred during welding operations while the work crew replaced old metal tanks with fiberglass ones at a saltwater disposal
This case is before the Commission on remand from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Administrative Law Judge Keith E. Bell affirmed a citation issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, alleging that pallets of merchandise kept on racks at a distribution center were “stored in tiers” but not “blocked
If your management is only reactive to an accident, it is probably a built-in response because all the safety metrics are reactionary as well. When the sole safety metric is an injury rate, events that do not impact that injury rate do not garner a management response simply because they did not move the needle
This week OSHA published the Compliance Directive for Region IV’s Regional Emphasis Program (REP) for Safety Hazards in Auto Parts Industry – NAICS 3363XX (Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing). Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that in 2021 the auto parts supplier industry had higher injury and illness rates – 3.3 per 100
A worker died of acute hydrogen sulfide (H2S) poisoning while responding to an alarming water pump involved in the process of extracting crude oil and natural gas. The worker was alone in the pump house, attempting to close process valves to isolate the pump. The pump unexpectedly energized either before the worker’s arrival or during
The Respondent operates a frozen poultry storage facility. The Facility is located within several hundred feet of residences. Respondent uses 15,900 pounds of anhydrous ammonia in a refrigeration “process,” as defined by 40 C.F.R. § 68.3, in a system of pipes and vessels at the facility (the “Process”). On June 6, 2019, EPA inspectors visited
The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) establishes requirements for federal, state, and local governments, Indian tribes, and industry regarding emergency planning and reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals. Individual facilities are required to conduct emergency planning with state and local emergency planning committees, report accidental releases to the proper authorities, and report annually
When a manufacturer or importer ships defective/rejected Li-ion batteries for disposal or recycling, they are required to provide an HCS-compliant SDS to downstream employers. An HCS-compliant label would not be required for a product that is regulated under the CPSC.7 For example, consumer products that are generally regulated by the CPSC include button cells (e.g.,
This [Portable] Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA) inquiry includes a number of scenarios and questions raised by its members related to the article determination, hazard classification, consumer product exemptions, and labeling requirements The PRBA scenarios and questions have been paraphrased, followed by our responses. In addition, Attachment 1 to this letter provides several scenarios to give
