Permit Required Confined Spaces

The Denver Regional Office brought to our attention a fatal accident involving a 20-pound propane cylinder regulator that broke off when the cylinder fell. The regulator was vulnerable to this kind of damage because it protruded past the cylinder’s protective collar. Using unguarded regulators on propane cylinders appears to be a common practice on construction…...

OSHA determined that an Arkansas construction contractor failed to test oxygen levels in the confined space before two workers entered a sewer 20 feet below ground at an Edmund work site and died because of a lack of oxygen.  The investigation into the June 14, 2022, incident found that an employee climbed into a newly…...

The April 2022 incident that was reported as “two (2) men down on the property” was actually a PRCS accident involving a railcar at the repair facility.  IN-OSHA released its findings last month and issued $113,400 to the business.  One worker passed away, and the other survived.  Here is a breakdown of IN-OSHA’s PRCS citations:…...

On April 21, 2021, two employees were working inside a rail tank car that had previously contained pressurized propane. The two employees were conducting ultrasonic testing on the welds of the interior of the tank car. Employee one exited the tank manway and expressed concern that he was starting to smell something. Employee three, the…...

At 4:45 p.m. on August 14, 2015, Employee #1, a maintenance worker, was lowered into a 12-foot tall 8,000-gallon polyethylene tank using a rope with a loop to stand on and the other end connected to a rough terrain forklift operated by the manager of the farm. The tank was used to store liquid whey…...

At 9:30 a.m. on November 8, 2015, an employee was cleaning the inner lining of a railcar that was previously transporting latex. The employee lost consciousness while inside of a railcar with an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. First responders attempted to rescue the employee but could not revive/resuscitate them. A second employee who entered the railcar lost…...

At 7:00 a.m. on March 25, 2022, an employee entered a grain bin. The grain bin was 28 feet in diameter. The center of the bin had floor grate(s) with a conveyor underneath turned on to move grain. The grain was not flowing, so the employee entered the bin from a top hatch and climbed…...

OSHA’s PRCS standard defines the terms Blinding and Blanking in the same definition, but there is actually a difference between these practices.  Here is OSHA’s definition: Blanking or blinding means the absolute closure of a pipe, line, or duct by the fastening of a solid plate (such as a spectacle blind or a skillet blind)…...