Respondent owns and operates an adhesive and sealant manufacturing facility, which employs about 30 persons, is one of several plants that Respondent operates nationwide with about 45,000 employees worldwide. In the Facility’s manufacturing processes, the facility uses various highly flammable and/or toxic chemicals that are stored in outdoor tanks ranging in size from about 5,000 to 10,000 gallons...

Before you go off saying their standards are different than ours, these EXCEL Spreadsheets can be modified using OSHA numbers/factors.  These are just EXCELLENT TOOLS for those of you trying to establish if workers are exceeding the Action Level or PEL for noise exposures AND these tools will perform the “Hearing Protection Attenuation” evaluation for you.   This attenuation...

This is another hotly debated topic among my tight-knit group of fellow safety and fire protection engineers and Lord knows we have plenty of photographic and video evidence that there seems to be a large segment of the population who need help with Dispensing Fuel into Portable Containers.  Hence the government has a code that covers this activity, which many are obviously not aware of or choose...

This debate reaches far into the safety profession and the opinions will vary widely among us.  But recently a state, which will remain un-named for this article, passed a fire code requirement for Flaming food and beverage preparation.  One year, many years ago, we were performing audits for a business, and during each audit, we were treated to a nice dinner.  One night it was someone’s...

The criteria for a dust hazard are typically based on an evaluation of dust accumulations in areas of the facility. The combustible dust accumulation level that would support a fire and/or explosion, if there was an ignition source present, depends on numerous factors.  For some dusts, accumulation limits are specified. For other dusts, accumulation limits can be calculated. The following standards...

OSHA has been piece-mealing its own standards along with NFPA standards to formulate a Combustible Dusts National Emphasis Program (NEP) since the 2008 Port Wentworth, GeorgiaSugar Refinery explosion.   There is always some confusion about OSHA using consensus standards outside of their own safety standards and when it comes to Com Dust enforcement, they rely heavily on the NFPA standards. ...

Ever wonder what an OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) looks for to establish that a combustible dust hazard may be present?  Here are the top 10 indicators they look for when wondering if the business has a Combustible Dust… … HomeRead More »

During the pandemic, OSHA’s Combustible Dust team was updating OSHA’s Technical Manual with a new chapter on Combustible Dust.  If you are looking to learn more about the hazards of Com Dusts, this would be a great starting point for your reading.  And if your business manages Com Dusts, this is a MUST READ.  The chapter provides technical information to help OSHA Compliance...

Many thanks to DS at the U of MO for sharing this excellent safety guide on liquid nitrogen containers.  The document (FREE DOWNLOAD) covers the following: Understanding liquid nitrogen Structure of a liquid nitrogen tank Storage and care Transporting and handling Monitoring nitrogen levels Tank damage The images are very helpful in their explanations, such as the one to the left.  First...

For the life of me (pun intended) I can not find this fool who runs around and tells all these safety lies about OSHA compliance.  I used to think it had to be Casper The Friendly Ghosts’ brother – but now I am at a loss in combating some of the most fundamental safety principles.  But there is hope, my beloved Cincinnati OSHA office team (One of the 2 OSHA Technical Offices in...

Respondent owned and operated the petroleum refining facility which produces, processes, stores, or handles more than the threshold quantities of flammable substances. Respondent’s hydrocracker unit (HCU) is a covered process under Program 3 of the RMP regulations. On April 10, 2020, there was an incident at the facility. One of the facility’s covered processes was in operation when an...

The following are highlights from the 2020 findings: … HomeRead More »