A sealed, unclassified electrical control enclosure, part of a listed and certified force-ventilated commercial hydrogen processing unit enclosure, exploded when the equipment manufacturer’s technician pressed the machine stop switch to complete the factory commissioning procedure. The technician was forcefully hit by the flying metal panel holding the switch and sustained serious injuries requiring...

The death of a worker while cleaning the inside of a tanker trailer has led to a proposed $276,176 fine against an Indiana truck stop. The business was cited by IN-OSHA for six serious violations and five willful violations (“Knowing” as they’re called in IN-OSHA’s plan).  Here is the breakdown of the citations: … HomeRead More »

At 2:00 p.m. on May 27, 2019, an employee, 19, was preparing to transfer anhydrous ammonia (NH3) from a bulk storage container to a customer-owned double nurse tank. The employee, who was NOT wearing any PPE, opened a valve on the nurse tank before attaching the transfer hoses, causing pressurized NH3 to be released directly into his face and eyes. The employee suffered chemical burns to his face and...

At 6:05 p.m. on March 3, 2021, an employee, 27, was clearing jammed mulch from a mulch coloring machine. The employee disconnected the power from the machine, entered the hopper, and began removing mulch. The employee exited the hopper, restored power, and restarted the machine. The employee reentered the machine a second time WITHOUT DISCONNECTING POWER before climbing into the hopper. Upon climbing...

At 11:00 a.m. on June 8, 2021, Employee #1 washed the inside of a tanker to clear chemical residue from the inside of the tanker. At some point, Employee #1 lost consciousness and was found by Employee #2, who attempted to rescue Employee # 1 from the tanker. A coworker heard Employee #2 in distress and called for emergency medical assistance. Employee #1 was killed and Employee #2 was hospitalized...

At 7:15 a.m. on June 18, 2021, an employee was working as a maintenance technician for a firm that provided maintenance and repair services for land-based and airborne gas turbine engines for civilian and military clients. He and other workers in the maintenance department were replacing metal bars at the bottom of a pit furnace, the “H2 furnace,” located in an outdoor area of the facility....

Anyone who works at a processing facility that has PRCSs with agitators will always fear this happening, yet this is a SIMPLE FAILURE of LOTO and should never happen.  I can probably count a dozen incidents where I have seen this happen with lesser consequences. At 11:15 a.m. on July 17, 2021, an employee was hydro blasting inside a mixing tank when the agitator was activated resulting in fatal...

OSHA standards were usually written after a day like this! (emphasis by me) 1910.36(h) An OUTDOOR exit route is permitted. 1910.36(h)(1) The outdoor exit route must have guardrails to protect unenclosed sides if a fall hazard exists; 1910.36(h)(2) The outdoor exit route must be covered if snow or ice is likely to accumulate along the route, unless the employer can demonstrate that any snow or ice accumulation...

WA-OSHA standards were revised a number of years ago, so they are in “plain English.”  These are a GREAT SOURCE of information for anyone looking for a straight forward explanation of OSHA standard requirements.  One particular standard that I found helpful was its Hazardous Location (HAZLOC) explanations. These hazardous locations are classified as follows: … HomeRead...

Another excellent video of how world-class people respond to a workplace tragedy.  We will all suffer such an event if we stay in this profession long enough.  But hopefully, you will be surrounded by real leaders who rise to the occasion and LEAD, as leadership is the ONLY way out of such a tragedy.  You will begin to doubt yourself, your abilities, your purpose in life (if you’re...

OSHA answers five (5) questions regarding the relatively new standard, 1910.28 Duty to have fall protection and falling object protection.  And I have to admit I found a couple of their answers interesting. Question 1: 29 CFR § 1910.28(b)(9) requires fixed ladders (installed on or after November 19, 2018) that are more than 24 feet above the lower level, to be equipped with a personal fall arrest...

I have been validated!  I have received so many nasty grams from folks regarding my position on the ASSUMED PAPR Assigned Protection Factor of 1,000 which I wrote about in several postings going all the way back to 2015 of which this was my first attempt to educate and warn others of some flawed practices: What is the ACTUAL assigned protection factor for Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR)...