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I am proud to announce that SAFTENG and The Chlorine Institute have renewed our partnership for another year (through 2026). Members of The Chlorine Institute receive a FREE SAFTENG membership. If you qualify, please contact me
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SAFTENG has:
- Over 19,000 categorized unsafe acts/conditions and accident/injury photos
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One of the best books in my career is the first edition of “Field Guide to Human Error Investigations” (pdf) by Dr. Sidney Dekker (Ph.D. in Cognitive Systems Engineering); which then became “The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error” (2nd Edition). Those of you in the Process Safety arena have some baseline knowledge of “Human Factors”. Heck OSHA and EPA actually regulated...
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WARNING! The video contains graphic images of a worker’s death. Worker is pulled into a paper machine calendar as he is applying a label. As can be seen, by the video, the RPMs were low, but the torque of the machine was too much for him. His foot hits the E-stop bar but it was too late.
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With the sad revelations coming out of the Slag Tank catastrophe and having spent time with my Dad a couple of weekends ago A thought just popped in my head… as a child my parents were constantly saying “I don’t care what Johnny is doing” and “if Johnny jumped off a bridge would you?” But as an adult I am teaching my kids the same principle- be true...
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Here we have a darn near perfect example as to why OSHA/EPA are now asking businesses with PSM/RMP covered process to “justify” their “maximum intended inventory(s)” of their Highly Hazardous Chemicals (HHC)/Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS). The business had, at the time of the EPA inspection four (4) 1-ton cylinders of Chlorine in the same room (i.e. 8,000 pounds)....
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For years, OSHA had taken a position on when/where “swing gates” were actually required and that position was that it did NOT apply to fixed ladders on the edge of a platform. Then in 2009 they officially stated their enforcement position in a Regional Memo that DID include ladderway opening on the edge of a platform. This 2009 memo is actually helpful in understanding their...
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NOTE: This case, as unfortunate as it is, stands in a very small group of State Fire Code violations, and in my memory stands atop of the pile @ $302,500. It is rare for a state to issue code violations and even more rare for the dollar amount to be so high. The one thing that this case has in common with the other state code violations… they almost always come after a serious...
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Respondent owns or operates three (3) fluid milk production facilities located in MI, IL, and MO (until operations ceased in 2014). At each of these facilities, Respondent operates or operated at all times relevant to this CAFO a closed-loop refrigeration system which utilizes or utilized anhydrous ammonia. Each system uses and stores, or used and stored at all times relevant to this CAFO, more than...
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Respondent owns and operates a petrochemical facility which manufactures specialty chemicals in a variety of operating units. Respondent produces, processes, handles, or stores one or more regulated substances listed in 40 C.F.R. Part 68 above the threshold quantity. In April 2016, Respondent began work to replace a tube exchanger on the Petro I unit. The replacement tube exchanger was fabricated...
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OSHA opened an inspection of the mill on Dec. 27, 2016, in response to a complaint alleging unsafe working conditions. Inspectors discovered employees exposed to serious safety hazards, including permit-required confined space hazards and LOTO failures, which I have summarized below:
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Both OSHA’s and EPA’s process safety standards require operating procedures to contain the “steps required to correct or avoid deviation(s)”, but what exactly does this mean? I really wish OSHA/EPA would have phrased it as “avoid or correct” as putting the words in this order is actual reality. Let’s look at a simple process set-up where the process has...
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UPDATED 8/15/2017 with OSHA Case info: This has now been classified as a “Hot Gas Defrost Valving Error”.
On September 11, 2012, Employee #1, a temporary employee was working as a racker-blender at the [wine company], was exposed to anhydrous ammonia, and died of asphyxia. Employee #1 was found in the west hallway 54 ft from the men’s restroom. Upon further investigation, a...
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