THE WORK WE DO INSIDE A PRCS can create a Hazard! Three workers killed in a water tank explosion (PRCS Entry Fatalities) Initial investigations suggest the combination of cleaning agents and high temperatures triggered the fatal reaction…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Manhole workers likely died from hydrogen sulfide poisoning, asphyxiation. The male workers, all in their 50s, were inspecting a sewage pipe in Gyoda City on Saturday. Police say they believe one of them fell in first, and the rest followed while trying to rescue him. All of them were later confirmed dead…. Membership Required You...
On January 30, 2025, Employee #1 was working at a trailer truck wash business and had been subcontracted to clean out a trailer tank using a water hose. The business specialized in washing out livestock haulers. Employee #1 entered the tank to continue cleaning. A coworker noticed Employee #1 lying on his side at the…...
UPDATED on 8/8/25 with OSHA Citations (All are being contested) At approximately 9:34 a.m. on January 10, 2025, an employee, 35, was directed to enter a 23,737-gallon rail tank car containing residues of PCBs and transformer oil to obtain wipe samples of the interior surfaces. The rail tank car was a permit-required confined space. The…...
I have debated this many times and finally just gave up on the industry to do the right thing. And yes, there is a line item in NFPA 350, that I have requested the NFPA to address. But for me, in all my years, we would evacuate the NH3 from the condenser coils and lock…...
Another international brand of cooling towers/evaporative condensers is marketing their product as if it is NOT a Confined Space or a Permit-Required Confined Space. For those who follow my safety rampages, know how this enrages me! As shown by the pictures below, this Cooling Tower is without question a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS); however, as…...
On September 13, 2024, at 7:31 a.m. Employee #1, a 34-year-old, was working inside a 9-foot-deep sewer manhole in Minnesota. The employee was performing a construction task to cement the end of a pipeline, sealing an old sewer line. The employee was NOT wearing a harness or hooked up to a tripod, and was working…...
A former (sort of) client has suffered a serious event simply because they failed to follow the direct reading instrument manufacturer’s WARNINGS. The space being monitored involved NH3. The facility was using the WRONG PUMP and WRONG SAMPLING TUBE! (emphasis by me, and I have removed the brand name from the post)… Membership Required You...
At 11:30 a.m. on September 7, 2024, Employee #1 (41) and the owner (51) were working inside a silage silo when they were overcome by hazardous vapors. A third employee entered the silo in an attempt to assist them…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log...
At 10:00 a.m. on November 13, 2024, Employee #1 (23) was inside a large section of HVAC duct applying Design Polymerics DP 2590 Duct Liner Spray Adhesive to repair sagging insulation. After completing the adhesive application, Employee #1 used a pin welder to secure the insulation. While using the welder, a spark ignited flammable vapors…...
So I posed the question to over 30,000 safety pros across my LinkedIn and Facebook groups and SAFTENG members, and as I suspected, there was a lively debate on this matter. I have received numerous requests to break down the evaluation like I have done for other “tricky” spaces that fall outside the traditional CS/PRCS…...
The image below is just one I found on the internet, but it is a good representation of the ones I have seen and worked with. Today, during an audit, I was asked by the EHS pro, if I thought there large CNC machines were Confined Spaces/Permit-Required Confined Spaces. At first, I said I did…...
