A 32-year-old male employee was crushed by/caught in a rotating machine roller while attempting to package a mattress. The victim was in the process of operating the machine, rolling, and wrapping a twin-sized mattress with cellophane to prepare it for packaging and shipping when he was caught by the roller. Two machines function together to first compress a mattress to a flat, thin state inside of...

We have all done it… used the words “confined space” when we were actually discussing a Permit-Required Confined Space.  But in the year 2021, I hope we have come to realize the huge difference between the two types of spaces.  Just merely speaking in terms of OSHA compliance, there is a good reason why 1910.146 is titled  “Permit-required confined spaces”...

The CAFO resolves alleged CAA violations that Complainant asserted occurred in conjunction with Respondent’s storage and handling of toluene diisocyanate, an extremely hazardous substance, at its former plant growth media manufacturing facility. Respondent reports that the Facility ceased operations on or about December 3, 2020. Respondent also reports that subsequently, all equipment, inventory, raw...

On Feb. 25, 2021, a 26-year old plant operator died after entering a cyclone discharge box. The local fire department recovered the victim lodged in an 18-inch wide discharge pipe that was full of water.  February 25, 2021, Fatality Alert.pdf

                          2020 Overall 1910 MFC Top 10: Take note:  Six (6) of the top ten are from HAZCOM, Machine Guarding, and Respirator standards.  And sadly, the HAZCOM issues are NOT related to the new GHS changes, but the same old issues:  No written program and not having SDSs!  Machine Guarding issues were...

While cleaning an auger used to rice potatoes, a 39-year-old production worker found her left arm caught in a running auger. The worker suffered multiple lacerations and a partial amputation of her arm. Co-workers had to cut the auger apart to free her arm. An investigation in September 2020 by OSHA determined that the business failed to shut down and isolate energy to the auger during maintenance...

Respondent is the owner and/or operator of a chemical and fertilizer distribution facility. The Facility has an anhydrous ammonia storage system and loading and unloading equipment that has at all relevant times contained more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia and constitutes a single “covered process” under 40 C.F.R. § 68.3.  The Facility has an 18,000-gallon anhydrous ammonia...

This is a nice video of workers demonstrating a “day in the life of an ammonia refrigeration technician”.  They spend their 17 minutes searching for an NH3 leak and isolating the system feeding the leak.  There are quite a few learning opportunities, but their actions are fairly common in this industry.  We have a ways to go with LOTO in the ammonia refrigeration industry,...

We have been using OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard since the 1980’s to establish the absolute minimum training for personnel who would discover and/or respond to uncontrolled releases of hazardous materials.  This HAZMAT training was intended to be a “Step-Progression” style of training, meaning that you would have the baseline level (e.g. Awareness) and then get the Operations...

Recently there have been several incidents involving improperly installed or poorly maintained carbonated beverage systems that have created hazardous concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in enclosed areas causing restaurant patrons, employees, and first responders to get sick or die. Carbon dioxide in the gaseous state is colorless and odorless and not easily detectable. Carbon dioxide can be deadly...

As of January 1, 2021, hazmat shippers will no longer be able to use the ORM-D Consumer Commodity marking on packages containing limited quantities of low-risk hazardous materials. Packages must be marked with the Limited Quantity marking in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Section 173.156. PHMSA published a final rule in January 2011 that revised the Hazardous Materials Regulations...

The City of Henderson, NV has upped their game when it comes to their adoption of the 2018 International Fire Code in order to address “remote tank filling”.   The new item addresses requirements for tank filling operation connections preventing unwanted filling into the wrong tanks where properties have both acids and bases, which has occurred in the valley multiple times. ...