As I have said before, one of EPA’s most cited RMP matters is the lack of “updating the RMP with emergency contact information within a month of the change“. But today, the EPA offered some insight for those who may not have an emergency contact assigned within the month of the change. For me, there are […]
On February 3, 2017, at approximately 5:57 p.m. an employee was working in the crawl space of Tower B to unclog food sink drains underneath the facility’s kitchen. Workers were working in a confined space in Mechanical Room Number 5. They were tasked to unclog four food drains, which were located 50 to 60 feet
On February 8, 2017, @ 11:15 a.m.three (3) contractors were climbing down from an elevated pipe rack. As they were climbing down, the stainless steel “Foul Condensate” tank exploded, striking the workers and tossing their bodies 200 yards from the explosion. All three workers were killed. OSHA issues five (5) Serious Citations releated to Hot
The Ohio EPA RMP Group has posted a CHECKLIST FOR SIMPLE REVALIDATION (pdf) on their RMP Page of thier website. This 6-page checklist appears to be an excellent tool for “revalidating” your Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) every 5-years. You can download their pdf version HERE. SAFTENG members can download a different version by logging in and
OSHA and a grain handling company have signed a comprehensive settlement requiring the company to implement safeguards, training, and audit procedures at its 20 grain handling facilities in six states. The agreement resolves contested citations issued by OSHA in April 2012 after six individuals were killed and two injured as a result of an Oct.
The Safety Authority of British Columbia (BC) has released a case study of all refrigerant leaks in BC from 2007 to 2015. The study breaks down: Number of Refrigeration Units by Refrigerant and Safety Classification The Boilers, Pressure Vessels and Refrigeration (BPVR) Incident Investigations Refrigeration Incidents by Refrigerant Ammonia Releases by Facility Type Ammonia Releases
Escape respirators have a SINGLE function: to allow a person working in a normally safe environment sufficient time to escape from suddenly occurring respiratory hazards. Given this function, selection does not rely on assigned protection factors. Instead, these respirators are selected based on: a consideration of the time needed to escape, and the likelihood of IDLH or oxygen
Employers may provide ESCAPE-ONLY respirators to those whose ONLY action is to leave the area immediately and take NO part in the response. Escape-only respirators MUST be NIOSH-approved and appropriate for the potential airborne concentration and class of substances specified in the employer’s hazard determination (1910.134(d)). Emergency escape-only respirators must be inspected BEFORE being carried
A fairly common mistake we see at facilities that have their own emergency response teams is that the responders are NOT receiving a fitness-for-duty evaluation and only receiving the same medical evaluation as those who wear respirators in non-emergency settings. This is a problem, as OSHA has stated that emergency responders need more than the
Fit testing is required for ALL employees using negative or positive pressure tight-fitting respirators, where OSHA requires such respirators or where the employer requires the use of such a respirator. A fit test is NOT required for voluntary users or escape-only respirators. (NOTE: SCBA’s are NOT escape-only respirators.) The fit test must be performed before the respirator is
Over the past several years we have seen an increase in the use of mobile test units for respiratory medical clearances and fit testing. Most safety professionals have seen these type of mobile units. When done correctly, these mobile units can save a lot of time and thus save the employer a lot of money;
The state of Ohio updated it’s Mechanical Code as it applies to “Refrigeration” in November 2017. Here are the updates:
