Recently we were performing an evaluation of a facility’s Confined Spaces and assessing if any were Permit-Required Confined Spaces and we came across this space. I immediately knew that the winch was NOT intended for personnel and was installed for pulling the pumps in this lift station. However, my escort, the facility safety person (and […]
At 6:15 p.m. on August 19, 2022, two employees, 19 and 22, were digging a trench with an Excavator for a storm sewer line that was located in the center of a new multi-residential housing complex that was under construction. The trench was approximately 29 feet long by 16 feet wide and 7 feet 6
At 1:00 p.m. on November 22, 2022, an employee, 48, was cleaning the inside of a tanker trailer from a local chemical company. The employee was required to enter the tank and wash out the tank with soap and water. Before entry, the oxygen level was 19.5% in the tank. The employee entered the tank
When preparing a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS) for entry, either by reclassification or by permit, it is incumbent upon the Entry Supervisor to ensure that ALL forms of hazardous energy has been identified and properly isolated. In this event, the vessel had a level indicator that used a radiation source of energy that was not
The following are highlights from the 2022 findings:
At 1:00 a.m. on October 23, 2022, an employee climbed into a barley germination tank at a malt manufacturing facility. The turning auger arm inside of the tank was not working so the employee climbed into the tank using a portable ladder. The employee intended to shovel some wet germinating grain away from the vertical
At 7:27 a.m. on September 19, 2022, an employee was performing welding repairs in a mechanical kettle when the kettle was turned on. The employee suffered crushing injuries when caught between the kettle paddles and the sweeper which were rotating in opposite directions. The employee died due to his injuries.
Issue HSE has identified high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in ullage spaces of cargo and slop tanks onboard some FPSOs and FSUs operating in UKCS. The high concentrations (up to 16,000ppm) is above the upper measuring limits of the standard portable gas monitoring equipment generally used onboard tankers and FPSOs, and may be undetected.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has cited Meeder Equipment Company of Rancho Cucamonga and referred D&D Construction Specialties, Inc. of Sun Valley (D&D) for criminal prosecution in two separate cases of workers’ deaths related to confined spaces. All employers must recognize, evaluate and control confined space hazards to ensure workers’ safety.
It amazes me that in the year 2023, 30 years after the PRCS standard was promulgated, we still have Entry Supervisors who can NOT explain:➡ Why Oxygen Concentration must be measured FIRST (then LEL and then Toxicity)➡ The Correction Correlation with the LEL readings➡ Why OSHA defined the LEL of 10% as a Hazardous Atm
The Entry Supervisor is an ABSOLUTE CRITICAL PATH in safely performing entries into PRCSs. With that said, if entry supervisors simply attend the same training that everyone else attends, we have FAILED them. We were asked to assist with a 2012 PRCS fatality incident where the abject failure of the facility to train its entry
At 3:00 p.m. on August 18, 2022, an employee entered an empty liquid propane gas (LPG) tank for servicing at an industrial equipment wholesaler facility. Earlier in the day, the employee approached a supervisor and stated that he wanted to enter the tank to spray a penetrating oil product on an internal valve to loosen
