Employee #1, a firefighter, was performing a pressurized hose test on a 4-inch fire hose. The employee was standing at the pump panel of the fire truck next to the discharge point where the hose was connected by a 2.5-inch double female adapter to the 3.5-inch fitting on the truck. The hose was being brought up to a pressure of 300 pounds per square inch. As the hose filled to approximately 150 pounds...

On November 3, 2006, Employee #1, a firefighter/paramedic, was the designated pump operator during the performance of an annual hose test. The pump on the fire department apparatus was utilized to perform the test. Near the conclusion of the 5-minute 400 psi test, while Employee #1 was reducing the pressure in a hose being tested, it failed near the pump discharge connection. The elbow connected to...

On September 20, 2018, an employee was performing a pressure test of a residential sewer line when he was struck in the eye by a small piece of a pneumatic quick connection of a pressure test kit. … HomeRead More »

There are very good reasons why workers are required to be a “safe distance” from equipment that is being “pressure tested”. These safe distance requirements apply to BOTH pneumatic and hydrostatic pressure testing. Had these distances been honored/respected, a component failure during the pressure test may cause damage, but not an injury! On August 26, 2019, a 58-year-old...

On April 21, 2020, Employees #1 and #2, 37 and 63, were conducting a pressure test on a chiller. Employees #1 and #2 were unaware there was pressure in the chiller. When they began removing the 1/2″ nuts off the bolts holding the flange in place… … HomeRead More »

On February 28, 2020, an employee, 36, was tasked with replacing a gasket in a 6-inch bolted flange on top of the Platformer Heater at an Oil Refinery. The employee was working in a man basket on top of the Platformer Heater. The employee loosened the bolted flange while using hand tools to remove a leaking gasket. Flammable gas and fluid from the opened gasket began escaping to the open atmosphere....

On April 10, 2024, an employee, 30, working as a quality inspector for a sewing, needlework, and piece goods manufacturer, was performing the rolling process, which she completed by approximately 11:00 a.m. After completing some housekeeping, the employee pressed the light curtain bypass button located on the fence of the HAAS machine on the alley side in order to enter the machine without breaking...

We hear these horror stories every year… a worker climbs inside a hazard area of a large piece of machinery WITHOUT the aid of LOTO, and another worker comes along and turns on the machine, as he/she was unaware of their co-worker being inside the machine. These incidents are TRAGIC for so many people, all because we fail to utilize LOTO. Here is the most recent case… On June 7,...

On July 7, 2020, an employee, 33, was standing on a ladder pouring caramel color from its storage container into a 500-gallon batch of rum that was being made in a 1250-gallon tank of alcohol (type unknown). As the employee began to pour the caramel, a flash occurred due to an electrostatic discharge contacting the alcohol vapors, which caused… … HomeRead More »

We have all seen the social media posts of these high-expansion foam systems discharging, and we watch in amazement at their efficiency in filling an airplane hanger. Some of these videos are from “system testing,” and some are from accidental discharges. But someone always asks the question: Could someone survive inside the foam? Here is a case where they did not. At 1:30 p.m. on August...

On May 17, 2024, Employee #1 was engaged in cleaning a grain bin when he became engulfed in grain, resulting in … HomeRead More »

On June 3, 2024, an employee working as a laborer for a meat rendering plant was unloading blood meal from a trailer (grain hopper type). During the offloading process, the employee worked inside a fully loaded trailer hopper to free up hung up (stuck) blood meal. The employee was standing on the blood meal when … HomeRead More »