Today, the CSB released a second update on its ongoing investigation into the fatal hydrogen sulfide (H2S) release that occurred on October 10, 2024, at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Deer Park, Texas. Two contract workers died during the incident, and over 27,000 pounds of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas were released. Local authorities issued…...
We see this far too often… a management system failure related to 3-year PSM/RMP audits. A company with multiple facilities should be “trending” its 3-year audit findings to IDENTIFY opportunities for improvement across the company. I did this years ago when I was a member of the Corporate EHS Team for a semi-conductor. And was…...
If we are not trending the findings from our 3-year PSM/RMP audits, WTH are we doing? Read More »
The explosion at an auto repair shop in Hillsboro, OH that claimed the lives of three (3) workers, aged 19, 33, and 47 in 2023 has been determined to have been caused by a rupture to an LPG cylinder that had been overfilled and past its requalification date by 33 years. I would also like…...
The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of State Fire Marshal (SFM) is in the process of updating all chapters of Ohio Administrative Code sections 1301:7-7-01 – 1301:7-7-80, collectively known as the Ohio Fire Code (OFC). When the update process is complete, the new 2025 OFC will be adopted and is currently anticipated to take effect in…...
Proposed changes to the OH Fire Code Read More »
A video I posted over two years ago has come full circle. A citizen (some may call him homeless) was allowed to sit (and smoke) within 20′ of a gasoline tanker unloading operation at a gas station. His actions may not have been his sole demise, as we can see in the video evidence that…...
Failing to control flammable vapor results in severe injuries for by-stander (video) Read More »
Back in 2010, I posed the question… do the oxygen and acetylene cylinders that are being used to perform the Hot Work need to be 35′ away from the point of the Hot Work? For those who commented, it was clear they thought I was crazy. “It has never been enforced”, “I have been welding/cutting…...
Hot Work and the cylinders used and the 35′ rule (Video) Read More »
If you have read any of my posts about safety management and what a safety management system should look like, you know I am all about “walking the talk” and how this simple failure of the senior leadership team is the most effective manner of destroying TRUST and CREDIBILITY within the safety movement. Workers, especially…...
Safety and the “Stroop Effect” Read More »
On February 19, 2025, a court sentenced a construction company owner to 48 months’ incarceration and to pay more than $55 million in restitution. Also, he will forfeit real estate and cash/bank accounts. He pleaded guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and a willful violation of the Occupational Safety…...
United States v. [construction company owner] Read More »
I have uploaded both my 2023-2024 and the 2025 editions of the PowerPoint presentations “Culture of Safety”. These are the presentations I use at the C-Suite Level and when presenting at Company EHS Conferences. Feel free to revise to meet your needs. The presentations were developed using materials from OSHA, The UK’s HSE, and Scotland’s…...
I have uploaded my “Culture of Safety” presentations to the Document Library Read More »
The recent news of Boeing announcing its selection for the Chief Aerospace Safety Officer who has been an executive with over 36+ years with the company. He is not a safety professional nor did the announcement indicate any specialized training or experience in building a culture of safety or even rebuilding a Safety Management System…...
Safety Thought of the Week… Are you building bridges or moats Read More »
If we have NO records of training personnel on the Elements of our Safety Management System (SMS), but decades of records on Compliance Program(s) training, well then we do NOT HAVE A FUNCTIONING SMS. We may have an SMS on paper and it may be plastered all around the workplace, but if the workforce is…...
Your brutal Safety Fact of the Month… Safety Management System Read More »
This video was produced as a companion product to IL OSHA’s report on the Deming Incident where a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in an underground vault during an attempt to repair a water main valve. IL OSHA encourages all municipal water departments that enter confined spaces to supplement their employer-specific training curriculum with this video…...
IL-OSHA PRCS Video (Water Valve Pit) Read More »
