The rate of recordable injuries in the electric power sector has declined steadily over the past decade; however, the rate of serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs) has plateaued. Unfortunately, studying SIFs is a paradox. On one hand, SIFs are incredibly important and deserve significant resources for investigation. On the other, learning from these events and detecting causal patterns are challenging...

I have been driving for 46 years and I have never died in a car wreck – BUT I STILL WEAR MY SEATBELT! The mere fact there has not been a negative result from an act does NOT mean we can we should continue that act without some layers of protection! So when someone claims a job has been done for ____ years without injury, think about your seatbelt and the old saying “An ounce of prevention...

In the 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), the International Association of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) was successful in simplifying the code requirements for refrigeration systems using Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3).  The code now reads: 1101.1.2 Ammonia refrigerant Refrigeration systems using ammonia as the refrigerant shall comply with IIAR 2, IIAR 3, IIAR 4, and IIAR 5 and shall not be required...

A new type of factory-built combination exhaust and intake air fitting is introduced that does not require separation between the two openings.  Although this has been approved for the 2021 IBC, it is ONLY for dwelling or sleeping unit mechanical ventilation systems.   It is NOT ALLOWED for   HAZARDOUS MATERIALS   Exhaust Ventilation systems

I can not understand why the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) is ending WISER. This single ER tool was undoubtedly the best available ER tool! I have been sharing it for at least the past 10 years in all my HAZMAT courses. It is indeed a SAD day; as of February 28th, 2023, NLM will discontinue the Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER), the website ( https://wiser.nlm.nih.gov)...

The 2021 International Building Code (IBC) has revised how firewalls can be used to establish “control areas” within a structure.  Section 414.2.3 Number states: … HomeRead More »

The 2021 international Building Code (IBC) has a new requirement that will impact EXIT doors and their exterior landings.  Most states have NOT adopted this edition of the IBC, so this is just a heads up of what’s to come.  The new section (1809.5 .1 Frost protection at required exits) states: … HomeRead More »

In the CSB’s final report on a refinery incident, the agency calls on OSHA to: Develop guidance documents for performing process hazard analysis on operating procedures to address transient operation hazards in facilities with Process Safety Management (PSM) covered processes. A PHA is a critical element of the process safety management system; unfortunately, we see more poorly performed PHAs...

It seems these signs have grown horns and arisen from hell!  We have all seen them, and most of us have had them in our workplaces from time to time.  But are they evil?  Are they an accurate indicator of injury data manipulation?    Celebrating our successes in safety is IMPORTANT, and there is no better metric to celebrate than an actual reduction in injuries to our team...

A Wisconsin company that supplies malt barley to major craft breweries, home breweries, and other spirit and food production in the Midwest has again been found exposing employees to dangerous workplace hazards by federal safety inspectors.  OSHA has proposed penalties of $174,351 after inspectors identified two repeated and 14 serious safety and health violations after responding to a complaint...

MSA has a CBRN-certified Powered-Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) for first responders; however, this PAPR is NEVER to be worn for the initial entry into the Hot or Warm zones!  This is not a SAFTENG requirement; this comes straight from OSHA’s (and EPA’s) HAZWOPER standard… … HomeRead More »

It is pretty standard practice to hook up a compressed gas cylinder to a process.  In fact, many “blanket systems” on a small vessel will use a Nitrogen CG cylinder to provide the blanketing gas.  However, it is even more common to find this setup done improperly.  In this article, I will offer a RAGAGEP to follow that explicitly covers this practice.   First things...