When we talk about Lower Explosive Limits, most people imagine a flash-fire hazard (as they should!). But when a worker is in a flammable atmosphere, they are also being WAY OVER EXPOSED. Take the following OSHA PRCS fatality case, where the worker died from being overexposed to organic vapors. The Atlantic City Fire Department Confined…...
We see many compressed gas cylinders of Asphyxiants in labs within large industrial facilities. We even see these labs increasing their quantities and moving to using Dewars (cryogenic liquid storage) to store their asphyxiants. These dewars are a massive game-changer, as both Liquid N2 and Liquid Ar have expansion ratios of 1:700 and 1:860, respectively…....
A couple of weeks ago, I had a poll in my FB Group asking: Is a personal single-gas detector necessary within our breathing zone when wearing an Air Purifying Respirator in a potential IDLH atmosphere? For example, responding to a leak alarm for an NH3 or Cl2 leak. And as usual, the group did NOT…...
OSHA has cited a petroleum tank services contractor for exposing workers to chemical and respiratory hazards after an employee was fatally exposed to benzene and toluene when they entered a fuel storage tank in July 2025. Investigators cited the company with 12 serious violations for failing to develop and implement a written permit-required space entry…...
Question 1: To what extent does OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standard, at 29 CFR § 1910.134(e), require that the PLHCP’s medical evaluation for respirator use include consideration of factors beyond respiratory protection that affect fitness to safely perform the expected job tasks while wearing a respirator? Question 2: Is there a reasonable expectation that the employer…...
On December 3, 2020, at approximately 2:30 p.m., an accidental release of chlorine gas occurred at a plastics facility and seriously injured one employee. At the time of the incident, four (4) employees were involved in replacing an empty chlorine container with a full 2,000-pound (one-ton) container at the facility’s Ethylene Glycol unit. The unit…...
This is a perfect (and sad) example of why releases of hazardous materials need to be DEFINED and QUANTIFIED so that personnel know their LIMITATIONS in responding to said releases. This exercise is part of our PRE-PLANNING, starting with using the Tier II forms we submit each year. Just understand, the Tier II forms are…...
OSHA answers two (2) Respiratory Protection Program questions: To what extent does OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standard, at 29 CFR § 1910.134(e), require that the PLHCP’s medical evaluation for respirator use include consideration of factors beyond respiratory protection that affect fitness to safely perform the expected job tasks while wearing a respirator?Is there a reasonable expectation…...
At 10 p.m. on 3/19/18, an employee, 34, and coworker were performing preventative maintenance on a chlorine gas system used in a water filtration process. The employee and coworker were removing, and reinstalling, a flange with a black Teflon rubber gasket. They were working in a 48-foot long, 24-foot wide, and 6-foot tall crawl space…...
This report presents the results of inhalation and exhalation resistance, filtration performance, and organic vapor (OV) service life testing on NIOSH-approved and counterfeit respirator P100 filters, chemical cartridges, and combination cartridges. NIOSH’s pilot project showed: failed to meet all required NIOSH performance tests. CLICK HERE for full report… Membership Required You must be a member...
OSHA has issued $4M+ in citations to an electronic vehicle-related parts manufacturer. This case involves OSHA’s “instance-by-instance” (IBI) citation policy issued in 2024. The citations were for:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intends to update the medical evaluation provisions currently required by the Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and loose-fitting powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs). This action will be deregulatory and / or burden reducing to employers whose employees wear such devices. This rulemaking…...
