British Columbia’s new First Aid Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation relating to occupational first aid took effect November 1, 2024. These new rules/approaches to first aid are something we should all celebrate. They are a true “performance-oriented” approach to establishing the level of first Aid needed, as well as the level of…...
An investigation into an industrial explosion at an oil and gas facility has led to significant fines being laid by WorkSafe BC. A contractor who handles oilfield waste, has been ordered to pay just over $42,000 for safety violations. Two welders, working directly above a fluid tank, were injured after an explosion inside a shaker…...
Last week, we saw the devastation of a catastrophic failure of a pressure vessel (PV) in Louisville, KY. We still do not know the cause of this failure, just that it was a “cook vessel #6. SAFTENG members can see my breakdown of the photographic evidence available from the Courrier Journal (local Louisville newspaper). But…...
A look inside the Caramel Processing area Read More »
Respondent operates a seafood processing and distribution facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts that uses anhydrous ammonia in a refrigeration “process” as defined by 40 C.F.R. § 68.3, in a series of interconnected pipes and vessels at the Facility (the “Process”). According to the respondent’s 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 Reporting Year Tier II reports,…...
EPA RMP citations @ seafood processing and distribution facility (NH3 & $220K) Read More »
On May 29, 2024, at 3:22 p.m., Employee #1, 26, was attempting to rescue a fellow employee who had been overcome by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas in an underground pump house. Prior to this incident, multiple coworkers had been working in the pump house and were exposed to H2S gas emitted from a pipe containing…...
PRCS Fatality, would-be rescuer, and H2S Read More »
Another example shows us that serious hazards can be found OUTSIDE of chemical processes, and applying the Line Break/Equipment Opening Procedure and Permit to these hazards could go a long way in controlling these recognized hazards. DEFINING and QUANTIFYING “hazardous energy” sources is STEP 1 in ensuring the process/system can be safely opened. Step 2…...
Line Break/Equipment Opening GONE BAD (185F water) Read More »
What GAO Found Three (3) major hazards caused most of the injuries and illnesses in general warehousing (which includes e-commerce warehouses) and the companies that deliver these orders to consumers (“last-mile delivery”), according to Bureau of Statistics (BLS) data. Overexertion and bodily reaction, the most common hazard (see figure), can cause musculoskeletal disorders, such as…...
The following is a brief description of the collection of information requirements contained in the 13 Carcinogens Standard: Further, employers must retain worker medical records for specified time periods and make them available upon request to OSHA and NIOSH…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log...
13 Carcinogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1003) specifies several paperwork requirements Read More »
This week, a LinkedIn post by Ed Davidson garnered some comments that disagreed with my comments about how the video should be used to show HOW NOT to respond to a fire that is (IMPO) beyond its incipient stage. As I had stated in my comments, some will celebrate the actions of those involved rather…...
Incipient Stage or a fire needing a Fire Brigade? (Video) Read More »
As an accident investigator this has to be one of my favorite books. Of course, I am a massive fan of Dekker’s books and videos. He has a newer book on this topic that is also a MUST-READ for safety professionals and accident investigators. After nearly 16 years as a safety professional in the chemical…...
Safety Thought of the Week – Reacting To Failure (Sidney Dekker) Read More »
Lots of folks find it hard to believe when I discuss Minimum Ignition Energy for flammable vapors/gases and Combustible dust. When we get “shocked” by a door handle in the wintertime, and we can feel it, that is around 10-15 mJ. Most common flammable gases and vapors now have MIE’s less than 1.0 mJ. Watch…...
Visibly witnessing the MIE of LPG Read More »
Please keep in mind that I am speaking strictly in terms of “complying” with required baseline standards and codes. Is 10,000% compliance a pipe dream? Should it be an expectation of the business leaders? 10,000% means 100% compliance -100% of the time. Remember, these are baseline standards/codes that have been in place for 40-50+ years…...
10,000% Compliance Read More »
