Back when OSHA was writing their Permit-Required Confined Space standard (1910.146) their review of accident data indicated that most confined space deaths and injuries were caused by atmospheric hazards. And yet, still today, we see entrant, attendants, and entry supervisors; and even safety personnel, not understanding the atmospheric hazards associated with PRCSs. I hope to…...
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Fatality Alert: Confined Spaces Accident Type: Confined space Type of Operations: Unloading rail car Competent Safety Monitor on Site: No Was the Worksite Inspected Regularly: No Training and Education Provided: No Employee Job Title: General Labor Length of Employment: 4 months Experience at this Type of Work: 15-20 times previously Time on Task: 45 min…...
This Alert highlights the risks associated with maintenance work in a confined space, such as a storage tank that has an internal floating roof, and suggests control measures to address these risks. Background In a recent incident at a major hazard facility (MHF), the internal floating roof of a storage tank collapsed down to the…...
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At approximately 9:45 a.m. on November 4, 2016, Employee #1, wearing a full face respirator, opened the hatch of ETS tanker T442 to initiate cleaning. It contained residue from hazardous waste. Employee #2 witnessed Employee #1 bend over the hatch area on top of the trailer as he walked by. As Employee #2 continued along…...
OSHA responded to a report of unsafe working conditions May 17, 2016, after two employees lost consciousness and collapsed. The workers were exposed to hazardous gas while entering a sewer system. OSHA investigators found the company allowed the workers inside a confined space without having tested the space for hazards. OSHA issued citations for six…...
A worker, 52, was clearing crusted corn from the sides of a grain bin and was engulfed in hundreds of pounds of grain, just minutes after the wall of corn collapsed and buried him. Rescued by emergency crews, he died of his injuries two days later. Federal investigators found multiple violations of Occupational Safety and…...
OSHA has long stated that “entry permits” which contain exposure data MUST be maintained per 1910.1020. However, this requirement seems to not be well understood. It seems we find companies that prohibit entry into any hazardous atmosphere are keeping warehouses full of closed entry permits and those companies that are actually entering hazardous atmospheres are throwing…...
Many of you that followed my incident alerts may remember the transformer manufacturer that had a fatal PRCS accident that killed two workers and left a third injured back at the end of 2015. The three people were working on a transformer in the plant and were found unresponsive. Unofficial sources said the transformer was…...
The state of Washington’s OSHA has published their DRAFT standard on Confined Spaces. The standard pretty closely mirrors federal OSHA’s 1926.1201-.1213; however, the OSHA standards in WA must be written in a much more simplified manner, thus we end up with a standard that is easier to read and WA-OSHA does an EXCELLENT job explaining…...
An elevator superintendent, 41, suffocated when his lifeline tangled in an unguarded and rotating auger. OSHA investigators determined three workers, including the elevator superintendent, had been standing over the unguarded auger using a pole in an attempt to dislodge soybean debris in a grain bin that contained more than 50,000 bushels of soybeans sloped 12…...
