Your OSH or PSM/RMP audit report declares a human factor issue was found. You honestly wonder how much of a risk this really is, but you’re told it has to be fixed so we can close out the finding. So I present to you HF Engineering 2023 … HomeRead More »

Maybe I’m just old school, but is it just too much to ask for: a well-written safety procedure, one that is written and analyzed with a safety pro and the worker(s) who do the actual work, that management will fully support the procedures everyday-everytime, including on holidays that fall on a Sunday, and employees will follow procedure everyday-everytime, including on holidays that fall on a Sunday? There...

I thought I had shared this image before, but I could not find it. I did NOT create this image but have had it since 1994. It came from my first HF Engineering Course in preparation for Process Safety, specifically the HFA part of a PHA. … HomeRead More »

April 8, 2023 — Quinnesec, Michigan The All Hazards Training Center at The University of Findlay has developed the Rail Car Incident Response for Crude, Ethanol, and Other Flammable Liquids training course for the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOT PHMSA) to educate emergency responders on freight rail car incidents involving hazardous materials,...

A big mistake many make with Behavior Based Safety is focusing on people and their behaviors while the physical workplace goes to crap! We have to MANAGE BOTH to be successful! An old boss told me, “we have to take care of the house if we expect the kids to clean their rooms!” Claude Bloom 1994 when we were implementing Actively Caring (Geller’s Program). I loved the fact that Dr....

We often hear it: “We have a world-class safety management system.”  They are proud of what they have.  They have worked hard to get where they are.  But most of the time, they do NOT have a safety management system (SMS).  What they have is a safety “compliance manual.”  A binder that holds dozens of individual written safety programs, or maybe they...

Since this week is OSHA log posting week, I thought it was fitting to remind everyone…   When safety is measured solely by lagging indicators, we put good men and women in situations where they are faced with making bad decisions.   Setting a numerical end goal without providing a playbook, skills, and tools to achieve it will cause a lot of great and otherwise ethical people to play games...

The respondent is the owner and operator of the water treatment plant, which treats and chlorinates water. The Facility maintains a maximum inventory of 32,000 pounds of chlorine as liquefied compressed gas. The Facility’s chlorine process is subject to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) process safety management (PSM) standard, 29 C.F.R § 1910.119 because it contains...

Since this week is OSHA log posting week, I thought it was fitting to remind everyone…   When safety is measured solely by lagging indicators, we put good men and women in situations where they are faced with making bad decisions.    Setting a numerical end goal without providing a playbook, skills, resources, and tools to achieve it will cause a lot of great and otherwise ethical...

It does not matter how good a facility is in safety; I can assure everyone that within that facility, there are “routine violations.”  Even in facilities with a very mature culture where safety has become a value (rather than a priority), we can find “routine violations.”  So don’t be surprised or saddened that you discover a few; the important thing is that...

One of the MUST-read books for accident investigators and safety professionals trying to understand the acts/behaviors of workers (and management) is James Reason’s Human Error.  In chapter 7, Dr. Reason makes a very profound statement regarding the significant role “latent organizational failures” play in the vast majority of accidents… “In the past, reliability...

SMBWA is an unstructured hands-on approach in which managers directly participate in their subordinates’ work-related activities. In contrast to rigid and remote management approaches, SMBWA drives managers to spend a significant amount of time informally visiting work areas and interacting with employees. The practice is unscheduled, casual, and friendly.  As managers walk around they can chat...