During construction work at an LNG plant, Argon was used in Corrosion Resistant Alloy (CRA) welding to remove oxygen from the molten weld. The Argon accumulated in the piping, and when the welder checked the weld from inside, he fainted and died. … Membership Required You must be a member to...
Argon in 20″ pipe leads to welder asphyxiating Read More »
At 12:45 p.m. on July 5, 2022, Employee #1, 46, and his coworker cleaned a baghouse on a roof. The employee was wearing a Tyvek suit, KN95 respirator, and a safety harness when he made an entry into a steel baghouse, which is a confined space. National Weather Service reported conditions of 93 degrees F,…...
Heat Stroke during entry into PRCS (Baghouse) Read More »
At 1:30 p.m. on April 19, 2022, an employee, 35, was back welding inside a spool vessel (titanium pipe) that was 24 inches in diameter. The employee was asphyxiated due to the displacement of oxygen by argon gas…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in...
Argon used in welding asphyxiates welder in 24″ pipe Read More »
At 4:15 p.m. on June 14, 2022, two employees entered a 21-inch sewer manhole to conduct vacuum testing, not knowing that it was oxygen deficient. Both employees were overcome and died…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Two employees entered a 21″ sewer manhole that was oxygen deficient Read More »
At 8:00 a.m. on June 26, 2022, two employees, 45 and 46, were emptying and cleaning an open-topped frack tank (Tank #4) at an oil and gas services site. There were no eyewitnesses and the employees were working at a remote site by themselves, so few details are known about what occurred…. Membership Required You...
Which six words am I talking about? There are a lot of requirements in 1910.146 and 1926.1201-.1213 that get missed on entries. Luckily, missing a few here and there USUALLY does not equate to a tragic accident. However, the six words I speak of are a CRITICAL PATH in a “permitted entry” into a PRCS. …...
I have several clients who offload ships/containers in this manner. Whenever I see this, I immediately go to “that is a PRCS”. The ship/container is for sure a CS, and the fact that we have an engine putting off CO inside the ship/container makes the space a PRCS. I am fortunate enough to have great…...
Does this video show work inside a PRCS or an “industry practice”? Read More »
SPECIAL NOTE: This appears to be the first case where OSHA has applied it’s new Instance-by-Instance Penalty for Willful Citations. This case involved a leg amupation while working inside a sile with the paddle conveyor still running. OSHA issued three (3) Willfuls using 1910.28(b)(6)(i) for each citation and all three (3) were willfuls. An grain…...
Grain Coop issued Willfuls after worker lost leg inside silo Read More »
In OSHA’s LOTO standard, they incorporated a requirement that required businesses to have forethought about the means used to isolate energy. Specifically, the standard requires: 1910.147(c)(2)(iii) After January 2, 1990, whenever replacement or major repair, renovation or modification of a machine or equipment is performed, and whenever new machines or equipment are installed, energy isolating…...
Did OSHA miss the opportunity to improve safety around PRCSs? Read More »
… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Vessel Inspector overcome by N2 atmosphere Read More »
On June 7, 2022, an employee working as an environmental engineer was replacing two failed pumps in a pump station. Two coworkers connected the new pumps to electricity, and the employee lowered the pumps into the vault. It was noted that the pumps weren’t working correctly, and water was pumped from the space. The employee…...
PRCS Fatality (HAZ ATM); 1 entrant and 1 would be rescuer Read More »
This Safety Alert addresses the importance of verifying atmospheric conditions in fish holds on commercial fishing vessels. There are specific hazards associated with the use of brine dip solutions, a common substance used in the industry. Brine dip combined with standing water can produce dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The U.S. Coast Guard is…...
Fish holds on commercial fishing vessels (H2S) Read More »
