If I were to do 20 PSM/RMP audits per year with new clients, I estimate that I would have the following debate 15 times! In my Process Safety courses, I have a little fun with the phrase “Upwards and Unobstructed” as I make the class stand and repeat that phrase three times. But somehow/somewhere, this…...
A worker died (November 3, 2014) after Malaic Anhydride vapors released from an over-pressurized reactor burned his respiratory system on July 7, 2014. A second employee was treated at a hospital and released. A July 2014 OSHA inspection resulted in citations for 17 safety and health violations. OSHA initiated the inspection after a media referral…...
Each year I received dozens of e-mail questions, as well as from clients with operations in OH, regarding a “requirement” by Ohio Fire Codes to conduct an “annual evacuation drill”. Since this question seems to be so popular, I thought I should just post my attempt at an FAQ for OH Fire Drills: 1) Does…...
PSM/RMP covered process(s) owner’s/operators have the option to manage the integrity of their plant and plan inspection from assessments of the risks of failure. They need to be able to demonstrate that the risk assessment and inspection planning processes are being implemented in an effective and appropriate manner. The aim of this report is to…...
At the November 2014 meeting, the WorkSafeBC Board of Directors (BOD) approved the adoption of the 2012 new and revised American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values (ACGIH TLVs), as well as substances from previous years. The BOD decided to adopt the ACGIH TLVs as B.C. Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) for carbonyl sulfide,…...
Author Unknown “Twas the night before Christmasand at the north polewas a busy little workshopwith an enviable role. Making dolls and soldiersall manner of toysas the annual rewardfor good girls and boys. The elves were all busyand their stations direct.Making sure their positionswere ergonomically correct. All guards were in placeto avoid safety traps.Protective glasses…...
This Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance is for those who work or control work in confined spaces. It explains the definition of a confined space in the Regulations and gives examples. It will help you assess the risk of working within a particular confined space and put precautions in place for work to…...
With the recent fatal accident involving methyl mercaptan, I thought it would be a good time to remind us of another significant methyl mercaptan accident that claimed the lives of three workers. The recent accident claimed four workers via inhalation/asphyxiation and the one in 2001 involved ignition and the workers died as a result of…...
This letter is to inform you that we have been made aware of an issue concerning the chemical protection performance in terms of normalized permeation breakthrough time for one chemical, namely dichloromethane (a k a methylene chloride) for the glove combination on some of our Trellchem EVO and VPS Flash chemical protective ensembles. This chemical…...
Previously, employers had to report the following events to OSHA: All work-related fatalities All work-related hospitalizations of three or more employees Now, employers have to report the following events to OSHA: All work-related fatalities All work-related in-patient hospitalizations of one or more employees All work-related amputations All work-related losses of an eye Employers must report…...
On December 11, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Senate amendment to H.R. 4007, the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act – legislation to reinforce the protection and security of chemical facilities from terrorist attacks. Specifically, the House concurred in the Senate amendment to H.R. 4007 to extend the…...
In today’s business climate FREE info is hard to come by, especially from a recognized source. But in the past few years, The American Welding Society (AWS) has provided their staple Hotwork Safety standard Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes available for FREE download. For the past several years I have been pushing this…...
