If a facility spends hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on paint the month before an audit… we may be doing “it” wrong! Early in my career, I sat in my weekly staff meeting when the plant manager announced our corporate safety and health audit. As in most organizations, these are “big deals”. A…...
[My] Safety Thought of the Week… safety auditing Read More »
As we end 2023, we will have exceeded 30+ years of OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standard. And yet, still today, we can walk out into a random covered process, place our hand on a process component, and the facility will struggle to provide us a “cut-sheet” for the component (i.e., what), when it was…...
What, When, and Who… can you answer this for 100% of your process components Read More »
In today’s safety arena, metrics still rage on. I believe in metrics; everything should be DEFINED and QUANTIFIED in safety, and “performance metrics” are no different. Advanced SMSs utilize “leading indicators” rather than “lagging indicators” such as injury rates, WC $s, etc. This is a significant advancement in safety – measuring the activities (and their…...
Be wary of your “leading indicators” being manipulated Read More »
The Safety Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, operating, and continuously improving the organization’s SMS. They should act as a focal point for safety in the organization. Typically, the Safety Manager is required to be competent and responsible for the following:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a...
Competency needs of a “Safety Manager” (CAA NZ AC100-1) Read More »
For years, I have advised my clients to use the ANSI/ASSE Z590.2 standard when building their Safety Management System (SMS), as it provides a clear-cut model for the Scope and Function of the safety professional’s role within an organization. Members can read the following two articles on how this can be done. Establishing the scope,…...
The Safety Manager’s Role in Safety Management Systems Read More »
A cleaning crew member, with no electrical qualifications, switched on a high voltage (2200V 3Ph) electrical switch for a piece of equipment after it had been locked out. The worker’s hand was burnt by escaping arc gasses and flames coming through a damaged door gasket. The equipment has a 2100-volt ac synchronous motor that is…...
Hazards of returning machinery to operation after LOTO Read More »
Voltage tests were being performed in a bucket of the MCC with a multi-meter that had the test lead connected to the amperage port and an underrated fuse. When connected to the 600-volt source, the multi-meter shorted, leading to an arc flash. The arc flash caused burns to the face and hands and pushed the…...
In a food processing facility, an employee moved a pallet from an upper storage rack using a forklift when the forks were lifted too high and contacted the roofing panel near an ammonia line. The roofing panel pushed up, bending the liquid ammonia refrigeration line. A two-bolt flange connection was strained, causing an uncontrolled leak…...
Forklift causes 1,100-pound NH3 leak in the “interstitial space” Read More »
Without a doubt, the biggest LOTO failure for businesses with a LOTO program is the application of the “minor servicing” exception. (emphasis by me) 1910.147(a)(2)(i) This standard applies to the control of energy during servicing and/or maintenance of machines and equipment.1910.147(a)(2)(ii) Normal production operations are not covered by this standard (See subpart 0 of this…...
Evaluating the application of and the controls associated with “minor servicing” Read More »
I promise you; these are written in the blood of many who have perished – THEY ARE LOTO FACTS, and they are not wrong. If employers could grasp these simple facts, many limbs and lives could be saved yearly. The standard is called “The Control of Hazardous Energy”. It is NOT Lockout AND Tagout; it…...
I say this every year, and I get told I am wrong… (LOTO) Read More »
Those in the USA have dealt with OSHA’s Process Safety Management Standard since 1992 and EPA’s Risk Management Plan since 1999. And although these standards established a well-needed MINIMUM performance criteria, they missed the market in what we come to expect in a proper performance-oriented standard. OUr friends to the North have been using an…...
OSHA and EPA’s missing Process Safety Elements Read More »
The Process Safety Fundamentals (PSFs) are straightforward, doable best practices designed to raise awareness of process safety and spark conversations in the field. The PSFs can often be fully satisfied, but when they can’t, it’s essential to pause and hold a meaningful conversation with the team, supervisor, and support personnel to figure out a different,…...
The Process Safety Fundamentals (PSFs) Read More »
