On March 9, 2018, Governor Baker signed a bill that amends M.G.L. chapter 149 §6 ½. The law was updated to clarify employee safety requirements in public sector workplaces and is enforced by the Department of Labor Standards (DLS). Highlights:
Citation 1 Item 1a Type of Violation: Serious; $2,500 IAC 875 – Chapter 10 1910.147(c)(4)(i): Procedures were not developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees were engaged in activities covered by this section: (a) Waterloo Facility – The employer did not establish lockout specific procedures for this location. Employees
A couple of weeks ago we had the “Rafter Walker,” and now I present to you, the “Ladder Walker”…
In my line of work, I come across a lot of areas that have a “ventilation system” that intends to reduce exposure and control flammable gases/vapors. The vast majority of these systems are “sized” properly, meaning they move enough air to meet the code/standard they were built to; however, one aspect of the system we
Recently I posted an article about the IIAR’s new Maintenance Standard that was going to allow bench testing of a “sampling” of our Relief Valves (RVs) as an alternative to the 5-year cycle. I have written numerous times about this practice, but I could never compete with the National Board’s article(s) on the topic. Their
The Federal EPA just updated their RMP User Manual. This is the go-to manual to find all the answers to your RMP submittal questions when using RMP eSubmit Software. The manual “unofficially” also provides much insight into all the submittal data you are being asked to provide. It even explains how the WCS and ARS
Sen. Chuck Schumer announced today that OSHA, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), and Homeland Security (DHS) have agreed to create new protocols requiring notifications and coordination with local governments & emergency services when a company is cited with serious violations in wake of the deadly chemical explosion and fire at a cosmetic factory. In January,
If you are a LOTO fanatic, you most likely have heard the “rumor” that OSHA is considering some significant changes to the application of LOTO. These changes center around using “interlocks” in lieu of locking out the machine/equipment. In essence, there are some who are “lobbying” OSHA to allow interlocks to be used in situations
Since around 2003, the International Fire Code (IFC), section 5704 – Storage, has required that ALL above-ground storage tanks, regardless of capacity, be provided with an approved means or method of overfill prevention. In this article we will look at what the code prescribes as the flammable liquid tank’s safe upper limit and the requirement
