The recent news of Boeing announcing its selection for the Chief Aerospace Safety Officer who has been an executive with over 36+ years with the company. He is not a safety professional nor did the announcement indicate any specialized training or experience in building a culture of safety or even rebuilding a Safety Management System (SMS). News reports state he joined Boeing in 1989 and was most...

If we have NO records of training personnel on the Elements of our Safety Management System (SMS), but decades of records on Compliance Program(s) training, well then we do NOT HAVE A FUNCTIONING SMS. We may have an SMS on paper and it may be plastered all around the workplace, but if the workforce is NOT trained on the elements of the SMS and their purpose within the organization – that IS NOT...

Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST Social media can be a great thing, especially for getting the word out about your services/offerings and showcasing through pictures and videos the work you absolutely should be proud of. Or, should you be proud of it? Yep, this won’t be popular but needs to be said. Engineers, service technicians, etc. very often post pictures or videos of the work they either are...

This video was produced as a companion product to IL OSHA’s report on the Deming Incident where a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in an underground vault during an attempt to repair a water main valve. IL OSHA encourages all municipal water departments that enter confined spaces to supplement their employer-specific training curriculum with this video and the incident report to ensure lessons...

In February 2023, a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in a water main vault that flooded during the attempted repair of a leaking valve. IL OSHA determined multiple contributing factors led to the drowning, including: ➡️ Lack of compliance with several confined space standards. ➡️ Lack of oversight and auditing by management. ➡️ Lack of rescue capability at the worksite. IL OSHA made several specific...

A fuel tanker was filling the station’s gas reserves when two vehicles began fueling at the pumps. According to security camera footage, not long after, one of the pumps suddenly bursts into flames as a result of built-up static electricity. … HomeRead More »

Fire Severely Burned an Employee and Resulted in $350 Million in Damages The CSB released its final investigation report into the November 19, 2023, fire at the renewable diesel facility in Martinez, CA.  The incident seriously injured one employee, who suffered third-degree burns over most of his face and body and resulted in approximately $350 million in property damage to the facility. ...

We MUST never be too confident of our written SOPs/JSAs. There is a good reason why “Administrative Controls” are down on the Hierarchy of Controls. When we think our SOPs/Plans are infallible, our workers will show us a thing or two… And when we investigate adverse events and this leads us to “failure to follow SOP/Training, etc.”, please remember this funny clip, as...

Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST No, it doesn’t involve anything with refrigeration. Same equipment, the same people, and a better layout to improve efficiency. So why would an MOC be required if it doesn’t impact refrigeration/PSM? Well, we have to think a little beyond equipment changes in the refrigeration system for a moment, or procedural changes, etc. that we normally think about. And...

Many workplaces struggle with one of the most critical elements of any attempt to manage safety and health via a safety management system – Incident Investigations. From the struggles of getting personnel to REPORT incidents (including near misses) to management recognizing these reports are GIFTS handed to us! But what normally happens, is we get employees reporting and we lose a lot of credibility...

I like the fact the thieves wore “high vis” clothing to make themselves look “legitimate”. But as the story points out they were getting injured in arc flash events. I support Hi Vis workwear, as it can’t hurt to be more visible in a busy workplace, especially with a lot of mobile equipment around. My issue with high-vis requirements is that far too many think it’s some type of visible...

Common root causes of incidents are: (in no specific order) … HomeRead More »