I have been preaching one simple approach to safety management my entire career after having learned it from the master himself… Claude Bloom.  BALANCE is the KEY.  There is no one magical approach to managing safety in the workplace.  These days the big catchphrases are HOP and Psychological Safety.  I am a believer in both approaches, but with a BALANCE!  Maybe I’m...

This is my “high-level” presentation to management teams on what the journey will look like and the effort it will take.  It is one thing to say “we want to be world-class” vs. what it will take to get there AND stay there.  Heck, I have yet to find a management group that could collectively agree on what “world-class safety” looks, feels, or sounds like...

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At 2:00 p.m. on October 12, 2021, an employee was working on top of a fermentation tank (a confined space), preparing to install a spray nozzle and attach it via a hose to the pump-over riser to begin a pump over. The employee opened the fermentation tank and was found lying on the platform with his upper body inside of the tank. The employee was killed due to a fatally hazardous atmosphere. …...

At 1:00 p.m. on December 16, 2021, an employee was retrieving a waste drum that had fallen into a trash compactor. While the employee was inside the compactor, the waste company attempted to remove the compactor, and the employee was unable to exit. The employee suffered crush/contusion injuries from the waste compactor and was hospitalized, where he died on December 21, 2021, at approximately 11:33...

At 4:45 p.m. on December 3, 2021, an employee was using a propane torch to loosen asphalt from the ejection chute of a silo while cleaning the chute. A flash fire occurred at the opening of the chute, striking the employee. The employee incurred 3rd-degree burns on 65% to 75% of his body, a broken vertebra, and a concussion. The employee also fell as a result of the incident and was killed. …...

At 4:30 a.m. on December 31, 2021, two employees were walking in a Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) traffic area when an Electrical Tow Motor struck them. The employer established a PIT traffic only during dispatching hours between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., which is enforced by posting a supervisor to stop foot traffic. The facility allowed both foot and PIT traffic simultaneously in the area at other...

At 1:30 p.m. on December 27, 2021, two employees worked in spray painting operations on a ship. At some point, the hose line was clogged with debris and paint material. The employees poured paint thinner into the hose to attempt to clear the clog. Employee #1 held the hose line while Employee #2 regulated the air pressure in the line. The pressure became great enough in the line that it jerked out...

An into to using a Risk Matrix, with working examples.  I use the most basic 9-Block matrix in this session. What is a Risk Matrix? Why use a Risk Metrix? Likelihood and Severity Worked Examples     … HomeRead More »

A high-level overview of Safety Management Systems                 … HomeRead More »

Here are my high-level training (1-hour) materials on Safety Engineering Principles: PREVENT – PROTECT- MITIGATE Swiss Cheese Model Layers of Protection Hierarchy of Hazard Control Measures   … HomeRead More »

There is sound logic behind these, apparently not so obvious, egress requirements: IFC, 2018, Chapter 10: Means of Egress, 1010.1.9 Door operationsExcept as specifically permitted by this section, egress doors shall be readily openable from the egress side without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort.    29 CFR 1910.36(d)(1) Employees must be able to open an exit route...