As safety professionals, we typically spend a great deal of time training workers.  However, the time we are given to conduct this training is shrinking; so we need to be SMART in how we develop our content AND deliver it.  The “learning pyramid” has been around as long as I have been alive and it is very accurate.  The earliest such representation is believed to originate...

A forklift operator at an industrial site was filling a liquid propane cylinder on the forklift and also heard a hissing sound. The operator then started the forklift and a flash fire explosion occurred at the forklift and propane dispensing system. The facility is an industrial wood processing plant with a propane dispensing system. Propane-fuelled forklifts are used at this facility for the movement...

This question is one that gets a lot of attention and the debate can become heated.  OSHA’s minimum standard, written in 1974, requires the fire watch to be maintained for 30-minutes after completion of welding or cutting operations.  But in the past decade, many insurers and standards that are more up-to-date are now requiring that fire watches be maintained for 1-hour. 1910.252(a)(2)(iii)(B)...

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the execution of two Orders on Consent with SHPP US, LLC, (known as “SABIC”), in Selkirk, including $322,400 in penalties and required facility improvements. These enforcement actions resolve violations after a September 2020 incident at the SABIC plastics manufacturing facility that released approximately 22,057 pounds...

The frequency of bump testing on portable and wearable gas detectors has often been a subject of debate amongst safety professionals andusers of gas detectors. As product durability and advancements in sensor technology continue to improve detector performance and reliability,some are using these improvements as a basis for abandoning the practice of daily bump tests, that has resulted in some deviation...

I have shared Dr. Lloyd with you all before; one of my favorite safety authors and Safety psychologists. But man, did he ever just sum up in 45 minutes what we are trying to accomplish in our careers as safety professionals. For sure, buy his book “Next Generation Safety Leadership: From Compliance to Care“ But also check out his latest online presentation from last week. He discusses five...

Two similar terms with very different meanings. And in terms of safety performance, the gap between these two terms, although they are incorrectly used to speak of hazards in the same context, is light-years apart. A “recognized hazard” is… … HomeRead More »

A truly great boss is… … HomeRead More »

A video was recently shared with me showing some crazy response tactics from what appeared to be a professional fire department.  But if you want to use this video in your training efforts, PLEASE ensure you use it as “How NOT to respond to such an event”.  Engine fire in a Chevy pick-up leads to quite a mess. 21 aluminum forklift cylinders, 50 gal propane autogas relief tank...

Respondent is the owner and operator of a facility that repackages chlorine from rail tank cars into 150 lbs. cylinders and one-ton containers, produces sodium hypochlorite from blowdown operations, and distributes water and wastewater treatment chemicals by truck that are stored in bulk tanks and railcars. On July 26, 2021, there was an incident at the Facility that resulted in an accidental release....

NOTE: this is the first citation that I am aware of from EPA’s amended RMP Emergency Planning requirements.  At the time of the Inspection, Respondent had not conducted annual coordination activities with local emergency planning and response organizations for the year 2020. Notice that EPA did not seem to be concerned with the Global Pandemic, which was declared on March 11, 2020, by the...

In 2001, Dr. Patrick Hudson, Centre for Safety Science – The Netherlands published a paper on safety cultures.  His work has stood the test of time, as many authors today still reference his 2001 research paper.  In his paper, he explains there are five (5) different types of safety cultures and explains a number of characteristics that go to make up such a safety culture. These are:...