Although not a new release, OR-OSHA provides a document I have used for a couple of years in my work and consulting. OR-OSHA is of course a state plan, but from what I can tell they have adopted the federal OSHA general industry standards exactly as they are written in 29CFR 1910 (not sure about […]
An accident occurred when an as-yet unidentified source ignited the ethyl acetate solvent being loaded into a 330 gallon square tank, called a tote. The operator who was filling the tote had turned away momentarily when he heard what was described as a popping sound, which witnesses believe was a pressure relief device. A fireball
For more information about this study, please contact Dr. Sharon M. Abel at e-mail:[email protected] Results The results of this study showed that for each of the five (5) protective conditions, the noise reduction provided by earmuffs increases as frequency increases from 0.25 kHz to 1 kHz, after which there was no further increase. Five Hearing
OSHA has issued a letter of concern to an organization regarding their 40-hour “HAZWOPER Hands-On Simulator®” on-line training program. OSHA states…As always, the use of interactive and video training programs as a part of an employer’s overall HAZWOPER training program is acceptable. However, an employer may not rely solely on the use of an interactive or
From Liberty Mutual’s Research Institute for Safety Safety warnings are everywhere – on machinery, road signs, medication bottles, electronics, cleaning solutions, and food items…the list goes on. In the workplace, safety warnings are meant to help workers make decisions to avoid actions that could lead to injury, illness, or even death. They are an important, and
Whenever someone is hurt in an accident, people say, “There ought to be a law!” Politicians rush to oblige them and then take credit for all the lives they saved. But shouldn’t they also accept blame for the lives lost because of those laws? Lives lost? Yes. A joint study by the Brookings Institution and
The GUIDANCE ON INVESTIGATING AND ANALYZING HUMAN AND ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS ASPECTS OF INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS is a report published by ENERGY INSTITUTE, LONDON. Simply attributing incidents/accidents to human error is not adequate; human factors aspects should be investigated such that lessons are learned to prevent recurrence. Each incident or accident is a learning opportunity, but one that can
What has changed in the definition of an IDLH atmosphere? NIOSH has removed the mention of the 30 minute time period, based on intraspecies variation factors. There is no mention of the 30-minutes in the new definition. A little history about the IDLH designation… The concept of using respirators to protect workers in situations that
On June 20, 2009, an ammonia line ruptured during maintenance at a poultry processing plant in Robeson County, N.C., killing one employee and injuring several others. This accident should remind employers of the hazards associated with the use of anhydrous ammonia as a refrigerant at food processing plants. Click Here (.pdf) to see and print this 2-page
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has adopted a rule amendment to WAC 296-45 based on recommendations from the Electric Utility Safety Advisory Committee. EUSAC recommended that the Department adopt a “Safety Watch”, which entails direct supervision of a qualified person when a nonqualified employee approaches exposed energized electrical equipment in substations or
The purpose of this document is to describe the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), why it was developed, and how it relates to the sound management of chemicals. The full official text of the system is available on the web at:http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_rev00/00files_e.html. The GHS is an acronym for The Globally Harmonized
Some may think this is crazy, I do; but I have had many debates with businesses during audits and serious accident investigations around this argument. There are a lot of mind-sets in plants that have many presses that LOTO does not apply to this task as it would slow production too much and put them
