OSHA has started its Small Business Advocacy Review Panel in order to get feedback on several potential revisions to OSHA’s Process Safety Management Program (PSM) standard. The modernization topics OSHA is considering stem from industry best practices, inspection history, stakeholder comments received in response to OSHA’s 2013 Request for Information and lessons learned from accidents […]
The basis for conducting any event investigation is to understand the organizational, cultural, or technical factors that, left unattended, could result in future accidents. Guiding concepts may be summarized as follows:
A food additive manufacturer’s failure to handle hazardous materials and respond properly to an emergency led to an explosion that injured four workers, including two contractors who scaled an 8-foot security fence topped with triple-strand barbed wire to escape the fireball. An OSHA investigation found the business violated process safety management procedures for the handling
July 7, 2016 UPDATE – Company is Contesting all citations OSHA has issued nine serious safety violations to a food industry provider of cold storage warehousing and logistical services. A January 2016 complaint investigation found the company violated OSHA’s process safety management procedures for using ammonia in its refrigeration warehouse facility. An investigation by the
2016 Fatality Tracker Electrical 11 (2015 = 38) (2014 = 55) (2013 = 32) (2012 = 68) Forklift/Aerial 20 (2015 = 48) (2014 = 60) (2013 = 62) (2012 = 52) Mining* 7 (2015 = 21) (2014 = 401) (2013 = 87*) (2012 = 92*) *ONLY USA Explosions 55* (2015 = 135) (2014 =
The Sequence of Events Model This is a simple, linear cause and effect model where accidents are seen as the natural culmination of a series of events or circumstances that occur in a specific and recognizable order. A chain often represents the model with a weak link or a series of falling dominos. This model
Respondent owned and operated the a chemical manufacturing facility. On September 8-11, 2014, EPA Region 6 conducted an unannounced, onsite CAA 40 C.F.R. Part 68 and Section 112(r) Partial Compliance Evaluation of the Facility. The faility’s RMP lists three covered processes subject to Program 3 requirements. The regulated flammable substances that are held above the
Respondent owns a Utilities Plant that maintains the support of steam, refrigeration, compressed air, cooling and process water; wastewater treatment, electricity, and natural gas for a chemical manufacturing complex. The Utilities Plant includes methanol storage and ammonia storage tank operations and distribution systems. Respondent produces, processes, stores, or handles up to a maximum of 51,180,000 pounds
Respondent owns and operates a global technology and specialty materials company operating in the production of vinyl acetate. Respondent operates the Facility in part to produce vinyl acetate in a reactor process. Vinyl acetate is identified at 40 C.F.R. Part 68.130 as a toxic regulated substance with a threshold quantity of 15,000 pounds. Respondent produces, stores,
KMCL has noted that OSHA has been very aggressive in its enforcement efforts and in seeking large penalties over the last several months. As described below, the initiatives the agency has recently announced signal that this intensity will continue to ratchet up over the coming months and likely beyond. As a result, employers should consider
