At 2:00 p.m. on October 12, 2021, an employee was working on top of a fermentation tank (a confined space), preparing to install a spray nozzle and attach it via a hose to the pump-over riser to begin a pump over. The employee opened the fermentation tank and was found lying on the platform with […]
At 1:00 p.m. on December 16, 2021, an employee was retrieving a waste drum that had fallen into a trash compactor. While the employee was inside the compactor, the waste company attempted to remove the compactor, and the employee was unable to exit. The employee suffered crush/contusion injuries from the waste compactor and was hospitalized,
At 4:45 p.m. on December 3, 2021, an employee was using a propane torch to loosen asphalt from the ejection chute of a silo while cleaning the chute. A flash fire occurred at the opening of the chute, striking the employee. The employee incurred 3rd-degree burns on 65% to 75% of his body, a broken
At 4:30 a.m. on December 31, 2021, two employees were walking in a Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) traffic area when an Electrical Tow Motor struck them. The employer established a PIT traffic only during dispatching hours between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., which is enforced by posting a supervisor to stop foot traffic. The facility
At 1:30 p.m. on December 27, 2021, two employees worked in spray painting operations on a ship. At some point, the hose line was clogged with debris and paint material. The employees poured paint thinner into the hose to attempt to clear the clog. Employee #1 held the hose line while Employee #2 regulated the
Respondent is the owner and operator of a frozen foods processing facility that includes anhydrous ammonia storage tanks, valves, piping, compressors, freezer tunnels, and other buildings, structures, equipment, installations, or substance-emitting stationary activities from which an accidental release of anhydrous ammonia may occur; which belong to the same industrial group; which are located on one
As one of my favorite authors said in his book “Risk Makes Sense”… Remember that the biggest danger in risk assessment is not the threat itself but the mind space of the person who overlooks, underestimates, ignores, or is perhaps deluded in their assessment of that risk.Dr. Robert Long, Risk Makes Sense If you have
The three C’s of Behaviors In full disclosure, I am not a behavior specialist or a psychologist, just a safety professional who has spent the last 30+ years studying human behaviors. This 3-C model attempts to demonstrate how workers go from the CONCERNED state, the first of the C’s, to the CONFIDENT state, the last
This video is making the rounds today. As far as I know, it is real, but those of you who are TRAINED responders will be doubtful an actual response could be done so poorly. I have no idea what is/was inside the cylinder, which they carried by hand to an awaiting pickup truck (let’s pray
The Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity announces the amendment of the following rules: GI Part 74. Firefighting – MIOSHA has amended General Industry Safety and Health Standard Part 74. Fire Fighting. Public Act 291 of 1966, The Fire Fighters Training Council Act, was amended in 2020. Due to this amendment,
The regulation governing the reporting of accidental releases can be found in title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1604, Reporting of Accidental Releases. The regulation requires the owner or operator of a stationary source to report any accidental release resulting in a fatality, serious injury, or substantial property damages. The purpose of this
Massachusetts Fire Code hazardous material processing regulation (527 CMR 33) requires a hazard evaluation or limited process safety program for many companies that have never faced this requirement before, (though many companies have been essentially performing these tasks as good practice). Many companies covered by this regulation must now document that a hazard evaluation has
