Safety Info Posts

If my bonding/grounding system’s resistance to ground needs to be <10/25 ohms, then why is ESD footwear allowed a resistance of 1,000,000 ohms?

This is another Top 10 question on flammable liquids safety I get from clients, cold calls, referrals, and friends. Most are familiar with the testing limits for path to ground on bonding/grounding stations of 10/25 ohms. In my previous post tonight I explained where these 10 and 25 ohm limits came from and how they

If 1 meg-ohm is adequate resistance to ground, then why do we test to 10 or 25 ohms?

Theoretically, a resistance to ground of 1,000,000 ohms is considered capable of dissipating a static electrical charge. So why then does my safety program (and NFPA 77) require a resistance to ground of 10 or 25 ohms OR LESS, depending on the metal used in my system? (e.g. end-to-end resistance of a bonding wire should

The CSB releases Volume 2 of its Incident Reports

Volume 2 covers 25 serious chemical incidents in 14 states: Arkansas, Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois,  Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska,  Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas.  These serious incidents resulted in 7 fatalities, 23 serious injuries, and approximately $1 billion in property damage. Link to Volume 2: http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=1&d=86&mid=421120&m=2672 The reports give the public important information about

1983 Newark 1.8 Million Gasoline Storage Tank Explosion

On January 7, 1983, at approximately 12:15 am EST, a massive explosion, ignited by an overflowing gasoline storage tank at the Texaco storage facility in Newark, NJ, and a nearby incinerator, destroyed three tanks, killing one person and injuring 24, while the blast was felt up to 100 miles away. Cause:The explosion was said to

Static electricity from flowing gasoline?

Gasoline (UN1203) is a NON-conductive flammable liquid. These liquids, as all liquids, generate static electricity as they flow through hoses, piping, and free fall into tanks and containers. Since the liquid is non-conductive, it can not conduct the static charge to the hose/pipe/container so the charge can be dissipated to the “ground”. Authorities say quick

Hazard ID is fundamental to any SMS and an ALJ who gets it

Sometimes a lawyer or set of lawyers can surprise us… This is a quote from a recent OSHRC ALJ decision, regarding the employer’s responsibility to conduct inspections of the workplace to identify and correct hazards: “As an employer, Respondent is obligated to provide safe working conditions and ensure safe work practices. Implicit in that obligation

LOTO Safety Myth #1

I have written dozens of articles around these “safety myths”, but Jonathan Zimmerman and I were not selected to present this at ASSP several years ago so I thought I would share it as a series here. These are topics that I still get challenged on in 2024/2025 and often I am unable to convince

Scroll to Top