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 clients who think about it and have agreed there is a risk in practice. But last month,...

Yesterday, OSHA announced its plans to promulgate a revised Process Safety Management (PSM) standard and a NEW Emergency Response Standard in 2023. Executive Order 12866 requires the semiannual publication of an agenda of regulations listing all the regulations the Department of Labor expects to have under active consideration for promulgation, proposal, or review during the coming one-year period....

The OSHRC has vacated four (4) heat-related OSHA citations against the United States Post Office.  This decision was based ON LEGAL matters regarding the Feasibility of Abatement of the Hazard.  ALL parties agreed to the fact that HEAT CAN BE A HAZARD, but when OSHA issues a GDC Citation, it must provide feasible abatement measures.  The ALJ and OSHRC agreed that the abatement measures...

Most adults have used an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card in their lifetime.  But these machines, as high-tech as we imagined they were back in the day, had a design flaw that caused a lot of users a lot of trouble.  Human Error Problem:  ATM users would insert their cards, request cash, take it, and walk away, leaving their cards behind. Solution: a “forcing function”...

The derailment in East Palestine, OH, was a classic need for a Vent & Burn operation (as shown in the video).  There was some indication that one or more of the Vinyl Chloride railcars had begun its polymerization reaction, which could result in catastrophic consequences for many people and property.  This indication also eliminates the option of transferring the VCM to other containers. ...

I share this in my training classes as this is an example that most adults can relate to… We have all seen pics and videos of humans forgetting to remove the fuel hose from their vehicle and driving off, often creating serious hazards.  But about 20 years ago, a very simple device was invented that allows this human error to “fail safely.”  This simple device is an “ENGINEERING...

This is one of my favorite principles of Human Factors. But be careful sharing this, as most organizations with an immature SMS do not like it when they realize the truth of this principle and its statements about the organization. Organizations are perfectly tuned to get the results they are getting … HomeRead More »

In Tony Muschara’s 2018 book Risk-Based Thinking, Managing the Uncertainty of Human Error in Operations he so eloquently lays out how “risk-based thinking” has to become a belief and value within senior leadership, such that they are guided by safety in their decisions, responses, and behavior choices.  Muschara has his seven (7) principles of risk-based thinking that are a MUST...

There is a common phrase in Human Factors Engineering… “Error Trap.” This is the image we will put next to this phrase in my new book… (i.e., an actual real-life “error trap” door). Scenario: Your singing your favorite song in the shower. The spouse needs to go down to the basement and start a load of clothes in the washer. They open the door BUT DO NOT CLOSE IT,...

On May 3, 2022, at about 19:45 local time, the inspected passenger vessel Natchez, with one crewmember on board standing a security watch, was moored in the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana, undergoing renovations when a fire broke out.1 Local firefighters extinguished the fire at 2139. No pollution or injuries were reported. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $1.5 million. SPECIAL NOTE:  The...

Filling or handling plastic or other non-conducting containers can still be hazardous when the flammable liquid is conductive. The splashing (filling) and turbulence of the liquid in the container can cause a static electric charge to build up in the liquid or on conductive parts of the container that are not adequately grounded. A spark above the MIE of the vapor/air mixture in its flammable range...

Three (3) things that a Human Error is NOT: a sin an event, and most importantly a root cause Tony Muschara, Risk-Based Thinking Managing the Uncertainty of Human Error in Operations, 2018