I have written about interlocks and their design, use, and function many times. I have also shared accidents which involved the abuse and/or misuse of interlocks. Sadly I have another fatality to report where an interlocked guard was by-passed… At 2:20 p.m. on June 11, 2018, an employee was mixing powders using a commercial horizontal […]
OSHA recently posted a Letter of Interpretation where they reference their Compliance Directive, Inspection Procedures for the Respiratory Protection Standard, CPL 02-00-158, and the standard’s preamble in establishing the medical evaluations for “voluntary use” of negative pressure (tight-fitting) respirators. This issue has been made clear in the CPL for years, but I thought I would share the LOI
Recently OSHA issued a General Duty Clause citation for “overhead process piping not properly secured causing excessive vibration” and the standard they referenced was 2007 National Board Inspection Code Part II, Section 2, Inspection 2.4.4(d) The citation was classified as “serious” and came with an $11,934 fine.
Respondent is the owner and operator of a food service distribution facility. On October 18, 2017, EPA conducted an inspection of the Facility to determine the Facility’s compliance with Section 112(r)(1) and (7) of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. § 74 12(r)(l) and (7), and the Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions of 40 C.F.R. Part 68 (“Inspection
OSHA has cited an asphalt paving contractor after an employee suffered fatal injuries after being pulled into an unguarded slat/drag conveyor at the company’s North Platte, Nebraska, asphalt plant. OSHA proposed penalties totaling $89,032. OSHA cited the company for seven serious violations of machine guarding, lockout/tagout and permit-required confined space standards, including failing to develop a
The business has operated a meat processing facility since 2013. The Facility uses 30,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia in its refrigeration system at the Facility. EPA alleges the facility failed to ensure that its anhydrous ammonia refrigeration equipment complied with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices, in violation of Section 112(r)(7) of the CAA
NOTE: Another EPA RMP inspection where they took issue with the use of “ribbons” used in lieu of lockout locks! EPA has determined that Respondent violated the Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations promulgated at 40 C.F.R. Part 68 under Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), as noted on the enclosed Risk Management
If you stay in process safety long enough you will see some scary stuff! It seems that “piping inspections” are become the norm these days, which after only 27 years of OSHA’s PSM standard being around I guess it is “about damn time!”. Having grown up in the chemical industry, MI inspections were a way
This week we saw OSHA issue $300K in citations to a MS papermill, of which LOTO was an area that was cited. One particular situation that caught my eye was the citation regarding “troubleshooting” behind a guard…. (see item (a) below)
This is one type of situation where (c)(5) could be a means to enter a PRCS and OSHA agreed and issued some (c)(5) citations. At 8:15 p.m. on May 25, 2018, Employee #1 was power washing the outside of the semi-truck tanker trailer. The employee entered the tanker trailer to wash the inside and was
At 11:00 a.m. on June 1, 2018, an employee was transferring a chemical degreaser containing 1-5% caustic sodium hydroxide, from a 5-gallon jug into a small bottle. The chemical spilled onto the employee’s left hand and pants. The employee took off his pants, wiped his legs with wet cloths, and changed clothes. However, the employee
At 2:30 p.m. on March 10, 2018, Employee #1 was using an aerial lift to gain access to an emergency access panel on a dust collection silo that was 25 feet above the ground. From the aerial lift, Employee #1 was using a two-inch water hose to spray water into the silo to remove the
