Respondent engages in chemical warehousing and storage activities at the Facility. The Warehouse comprises more than 200,000 square feet of space. It is used, in part, for storing hazardous materials, including, without limitation, flammable liquids and other extremely hazardous substances that may be toxic, reactive, flammable, volatile, or corrosive as stored in the Warehouse. … HomeRead...

 Ruptured pipe due to corrosion under insulation Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) is prevalent in major hazard plants both on and offshore, including nuclear and chemical plants, oil refineries, and offshore installations. … HomeRead More »

The skill-based performance involves highly practiced, primarily physical actions in very familiar situations in which there is little conscious monitoring. Such actions are usually executed from memory without significant conscious thought or attention. Behavior is governed by preprogrammed instructions developed by either training or experience and is less dependent upon external conditions. Information...

Human nature encompasses all the physical, biological, social, mental, and emotional characteristics that define human tendencies, abilities, and limitations. One of the innate characteristics of human nature is imprecision. Unlike a precise machine—each time, every time—people are imprecise, especially in certain situations. For instance, humans tend to perform poorly under high stress and time pressure....

Here are the five principles of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) explained: People make mistakes Blame fixes nothing Context drives behavior Learning is vital Response matters … HomeRead More »

In our profession, we live and sadly die by rules.  Whether they are government regulations or company rules, unfortunately, our profession and our approach to safety were based on compliance with these rules.  Luckily, by the time I came around in the early 1990s, we saw a serious shift in the chemical process industry with OSHA’s first “performance-oriented standard,”...

A professional life lesson in our safety profession, from Dr. E Scott Geller…   Dance with those who want to dance!   Probably the best bit of advice I have ever received from a mentor. Some folks are not on board with real safety management principles; most of the time, we know who is with the safety movement and who is not. So rather than be combative with the non-believers,...

At 11:00 a.m. on May 23, 2019, an employee removed a regulator from a chlorine gas cylinder to perform yearly maintenance and repacking. When the employee attempted the close the shutoff valve, the valve malfunctioned and stopped turning while still slightly open without the employee’s knowledge. When the employee removed the regulator, chlorine gas escaped. The employee removed himself from...

This is some slick marketing as the condenser is being marketed to AU and NZ, but it is a USA-based company.  The manufacturer claims its doorway “alleviates confined space limitations” based on its size.  The door is stated to be 68″ tall and 20″ wide (e.g., 1,360 in2).  So does this door alleviate confined space requirements?  To be fair, I will let my...

I think most SAFTENG members will be able to pick up on several keywords and phrases and understand the significance of this type of case and the impact it will have “culturally” on the entire nursing profession.  These are not safety or risk professionals in this video, but you will find their concerns the same as we deal with incident reporting, causal analysis, “the blame...

I will reserve my comments so as not to influence your position.  But watch the video, and then in the comments, let me know which school of thought you subscribe to: (1) the cognitive psychological school, or (2) the joint cognitive school

Reducing human error involves far more than taking disciplinary action against an individual. A range of measures is more effective controls, including the design of the equipment, job, procedures, and training. Actions for overcoming Active Failures … HomeRead More »