Today the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it is sending a team of investigators to Louisville, Kentucky, to investigate the fatal explosion that occurred last week on November 12, 2024, at the Givaudan Sense Colour facility in Louisville, KY. Two employees were killed and eleven others were injured by the explosion. According to the company, in addition to...

On May 29, 2024, at 3:22 p.m., Employee #1, 26, was attempting to rescue a fellow employee who had been overcome by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas in an underground pump house. Prior to this incident, multiple coworkers had been working in the pump house and were exposed to H2S gas emitted from a pipe containing water with by-products from sugar beets, dirt, mud, and chemicals used in water treatment....

Another example shows us that serious hazards can be found OUTSIDE of chemical processes, and applying the Line Break/Equipment Opening Procedure and Permit to these hazards could go a long way in controlling these recognized hazards. DEFINING and QUANTIFYING “hazardous energy” sources is STEP 1 in ensuring the process/system can be safely opened. Step 2 is applying LOTO to these tasks...

A review of BLS data shows there were 15,400 work-related hearing loss illness cases in 2022. Of those cases, approximately 68% occurred in the manufacturing industry. The incidence rate of hearing losses in wood product manufacturing was 23.1, compared to 1.3 for all Private Industries. The incidence rate for hearing losses in poultry processing was 24.5, compared to 1.3 for all Private Industries....

What GAO Found Three (3) major hazards caused most of the injuries and illnesses in general warehousing (which includes e-commerce warehouses) and the companies that deliver these orders to consumers (“last-mile delivery”), according to Bureau of Statistics (BLS) data. Overexertion and bodily reaction, the most common hazard (see figure), can cause musculoskeletal disorders, such as tendonitis or...

The following is a brief description of the collection of information requirements contained in the 13 Carcinogens Standard: establishing and implementing a medical surveillance program for workers assigned to enter regulated areas; informing workers of their medical examination results; and providing workers with access to their medical records. Further, employers must retain worker...

This week, a LinkedIn post by Ed Davidson garnered some comments that disagreed with my comments about how the video should be used to show HOW NOT to respond to a fire that is (IMPO) beyond its incipient stage. As I had stated in my comments, some will celebrate the actions of those involved rather than understand the risks they took. Most of these comments were by people outside the safety profession,...

As an accident investigator this has to be one of my favorite books. Of course, I am a massive fan of Dekker’s books and videos. He has a newer book on this topic that is also a MUST-READ for safety professionals and accident investigators. After nearly 16 years as a safety professional in the chemical industry, I came to the realization that errors, mistakes, and violations (James Reason’s...

Lots of folks find it hard to believe when I discuss Minimum Ignition Energy for flammable vapors/gases and Combustible dust. When we get “shocked” by a door handle in the wintertime, and we can feel it, that is around 10-15 mJ. Most common flammable gases and vapors now have MIE’s less than 1.0 mJ. Watch how static electricity lights the gas stove… DO NOT TRY THIS STUNT!

Please keep in mind that I am speaking strictly in terms of “complying” with required baseline standards and codes. Is 10,000% compliance a pipe dream? Should it be an expectation of the business leaders? 10,000% means 100% compliance -100% of the time. Remember, these are baseline standards/codes that have been in place for 40-50+ years and many businesses have been in business this long or longer....

This Louisville explosion has started the debate about the plant being in a residential area. What most of the media and local politicians fail to mention is that the plant has been there since 1948. The neighborhood was allowed to build up around it because of lax zoning and spineless politicians. So to blame the business for being there first is a bit rich for me to swallow. https://apnews....

For example, the popularity of flammable refrigerants. The risk is real! R-600a is an isobutane, a flammable substance like you might find in a cigarette lighter. https://www.wftv.com/news/local/it-blew-right-across-his-home-appliance-expert-warns-about-potentially-explosive-refrigerators/T7MZ3NZXQZBVRIXEKEFYIASOQQ/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGk79ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUSSh_owUKgWKjC4TZImcC-Gmc9RGcLqgzWxhlB6...